Blood of an Amazon
by BKK
Summary: Sept. 14: All Done! Wonder Woman's blood was stolen to give metapowers to criminals. Someone is trying to keep Batman at bay by threatening Wonder Woman. How many villians are there? Sequel to Honorable Maid and Seven Days
1. Prologue: Sniper in the Shrubs

I do not own any of the Justice League characters. I am not profiting from this story.

Author's Note: What I know about the Justice League, I know from the Cartoon Network shows. I don't read the comic books or watch the other programs. I know this is a terrible failing on my part, but please keep it in mind when you read my work.

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Prologue: Sniper in the Shrubs

He emerged from the dark and dank grounds of Arkham Asylum after dropping off some new inmates. It had been a long two weeks of investigating and foiling a huge criminal conspiracy in Gotham. The danger has passed. The guilty were punished. Batman had once again protected his city, but he was tired and worn. He was victorious and he was angry. The evil of man was too much.

Then he saw her. She was standing just a few feet from the Batmobile, clearly waiting for him. She was dirty and scraped – signs of her own recent mission – but to him, Wonder Woman was a pristine angel. A goddess of goodness standing strong against wickedness in all its forms.

She smiled warmly when she saw him. He walked to her, focusing on nothing but her. He said nothing to her; rather he grabbed her and kissed her, passionately and with a hunger that surprised them both. But for one moment, Batman wanted to touch the light and love and power that she possessed.

She had come to him unbidden at his moment of need. For that, she deserved his love and devotion and what he had to give, she already possessed.

When their lips parted, she let him hold her for several moments. Then, without a word, they both got into the Batmobile and drove away. The evening would be for them to share both the joy and ramifications of their recent victories.

It was a sign of how much impact the recent case had on Batman that he never sensed the man in the shrubs taking photos of their every move.


	2. Failed Attempt

Chapter 1: Failed Attempt

The conference room was modern. The conference table was a light oak and the chairs were black leather and very comfortable. A huge monitor was built into one of the walls and a projector hung from the tile ceiling. The sound system, lights and projector were all controlled by a lectern to one corner of the screen. The walls were painted a cream color – to even a casual observer it was the result of a generic government paint contract. There were no windows in the large room but, as if to compensate, large photographs of various landscapes around the country were hanging along the other three walls.

The conference table had chairs for 20 around it but only half that number was filled. They were seated towards the end with the screen. A short, stocky woman was sitting at the head of the table. Everything about her suggested power. Amanda Waller stared at the rest of the assembled group with a mix of boredom and frustration. The other members, who came weekly to update Waller on various projects, had finished their reports and were waiting with a mix of anticipation and dread for her verdict.

She shuffled some pages in front of her and then looked at the assembled group.

"It seems like we are progressing quite well on several fronts," she said not actually looking at anyone. "However, we have had to pull budget from one project. 'Project Empower' has faced too many obstacles since its inception. Dr. Kyle Westan and his team will be reassigned to another project. I need all other team heads needing additional members to send me a brief memo listing what they require. Thank you, that is all."

Dr. Kyle Westan had managed to keep a straight face when he was told that his project had been killed. He hoped that it gave the other meeting participants the impression that he had already known that project funding had been cut. He realized that he should have known. His project had faced several roadblocks but while the others were getting up and leaving, he stayed in his chair. However, a public execution seemed over the top.

Waller didn't say anything to him as the others were leaving, but she didn't leave her seat either. When they were alone and the door was closed, Waller arched an eyebrow at Westan. He took that as his cue.

"I would like one more try to get the material I need," he said calmly. "I have a plan in motion that, if successful, would solve our supply issue."

Waller looked at him. The fact was that she had really wanted his project to succeed. She also knew, objectively, that it was not Westan's fault that it was having so many problems. However, the project had gotten them dangerous close to being discovered by the Justice League and they were not ready for that just yet. Waller would have liked to think that they would never be discovered by the League but that just wasn't going to happen. But the longer they could delay the inevitable, the happier she would be.

"I am not going to agree to have a member of the League held indefinitely," she said smoothly.

Mild annoyance flashed over Westan's face which he quickly vanished. He only answered when his long, narrow face and brown eyes were all emotionless.

"Of course not," he answered smoothly. "Fifteen minutes under complete sedation. A little longer if not. My goal is to return the subject before anyone else misses her. We never had enough of a sample to successfully reproduce supply in the amount we need."

"And yet," Waller answered with a bit of anger in her voice. "I've had three bodies to deal with. I want an outline of your plan and an update on your research and your plans for the supply. You do anything before I get _and approve_ those items; I will have no problems disposing of a fourth body. If that is clear, you may go."

Westan nodded and left. Waller stared at some of the photographs for a moment. It was a sign of weakness to give his team another chance. However, the possibility of some sort of "power boost" which would give metapowers to people and solve the cloning issue was well worth it. But she made a mental note to follow-up with him if the materials were not on her desk in three days. Westan did believe in the old adage that it was easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.

In her case, that was simply not true.

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Diana – known as both Princess of Themyscira and Wonder Woman – had a day off. She hadn't had one in quite a while and she had planned it very carefully. It would be a "body, mind and spirit" day. Vixen and some of the other League women had convinced her to get a pedicure, then she was going to a special exhibit on Ancient Egypt at the art museum and then she was going to go to the park near the museum to meditate. Then, she was going to meet Bruce for dinner. Assuming his schedule didn't alter too much between now and then.

She walked towards the salon in an excellent mood. The sun was shining; the temperature was warm enough that she could wear a pair of jeans and a bright red tank top. The flip flops that the other League members told her she had to wear to the salon were annoying her a little, but not enough to spoil the peace of the day. Diana was happy.

Although she didn't notice because she never looked for those things, the most beautiful woman on the planet walking confidently down the street with a small smile on her face was turning some heads. For those who weren't looking for the pleasure of watching her walk away from them, the metal bracelets made it obvious to most who the woman was.

She did notice, however, the young boy sitting on a street bench that stood between her and the salon. He was trying hard to appear casual, but he was tapping his feet and looking around a little too quickly. He was wearing a hooded sweatshirt that was too warm for the weather and as a result, he was sweating. He had both hands in the pockets in the front of the sweatshirt and Diana could see a strangely shaped bulge in the middle of the pockets.

Diana immediately did an assessment of the area. There were no banks on the block nor expensive jewelry stores. There was the salon were she had her appointment, three fast-service restaurants of various kinds, a coffee shop and a large vintage clothing store. Seeing nothing that was an obvious target for a robbery, she continued towards the salon. Then she saw the boy stand up, remove a rock from his sweatshirt and threw it at her.

She caught it.

It was only as she began to crush the rock that she realized it was a piece of kryptonite. The boy looked at her, clearly watching her reaction.

"I believe you have me confused with someone else," she said gently before closing the distance between them and grabbing the hood of his sweatshirt as he tried to run away.

"Let me go! I didn't do anything!" he screamed.

In response to that, she lifted him a few inches off the ground. He grew still and silent instantly. The people, who were watching her earlier, suddenly started watching their feet as they walked past.

"Well now, that is only true because I'm neither Superman nor Supergirl," she said maintaining a friendly but serious tone. "But what I want to know is where you got that rock. It wasn't something you just picked up."

"Some guy paid me $50 to throw the rock at you," came the anguished reply. "I hadn't seen him before. He gave it to me."

"What was suppose to happen then?" she asked.

"If you fell over, I was supposed to drag you to this bench and leave. If you didn't, I was supposed to run away. I got to keep the money either way."

Diana nearly dropped the boy to check the surrounding area but the chances of someone sticking around at this point were about zero and the area was too busy to start randomly grabbing people. She sighed; some of the joy of her day off was gone. Although, she thought with a smile, someone who paid so little attention that they offered some kid $50 to throw kryptonite at her was probably not worth worrying about. Although she decided she ought to mention it to Superman and Supergirl so they would be more careful.

"I am letting you go," she said but did not actually put him back on the ground, "for two reasons. The first is that I can think of 16 things wrong with that plan and I'm not trying hard. The second is I believe you have learned your lesson about money that comes a little too easily. Have you?"

"Oh, yes, ma'am! I have. I am sorry." His voice reduced to a hush. "Although I was pretty sure that nothing would happen to you."

She smiled and put him down. He ran off. Diana entered the salon for her appointment with many more things on her mind than she had hoped.

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All of the League members had a mailbox in the Watchtower. Batman, who had finally given in to Superman and put them in, thought they were a waste of time. The assumption of receiving fan mail was arrogant. League-wide announcements could easily be delivered in another format. However, every time he stopped by the tower, he would check his box just before he left – throwing the occasional flyer unread into the recycling container. He had thought about just never looking at it, but then he realized that if he was ever called on missing something, someone could prove that he had, in fact, received it.

This was the first time he had ever received something that was not All-League. It was a booklet-sized white envelope, one easily purchased at any office supply store anywhere. His address was printed on a white mailing label on an ink-jet printer, both of which could be purchased at any office supply store. He opened it only because he knew the security protocols that the mail went through. He had personally made sure if mail was going to arrive in the Watchtower that every security scan was run while still protecting the privacy of what was inside. However nothing living (down to the virus) was getting through and thousands of chemicals and compounds were scanned and neutralized.

As there were League members coming and going, he carried the envelope out and made his way to the transporter pad to be returned to the Batcave.

Once in the silence and privacy of the Batcave, he opened the envelope. Inside was a single color photograph of him and Diana kissing outside the asylum. It was taken less than 10 feet away from where they had stood. He remembered the kiss and the evening but could not believe he had let his guard so far down that someone could take photographs.

There was a plain white card attached with a basic paperclip that printed on the same printer as the label said "If researching dollars in Kasnia continue to interest you, we will take an interest in her."

He sat, stunned for a moment as his emotions fought for control. Rage, fear and self-loathing all raced through his mind. After several moments, logic took back control.

He activated his communicator. In case he needed to call on instant medical assistance, he used an open line. A small beep occurred every few seconds to let everyone know that any League member could hear the conversation.

"Wonder Woman, this is Batman. What is your status?" he asked, working hard to keep his voice bland.

"I am in the Gotham Museum of Fine Art looking at the Cleopatra of Egypt exhibit," she whispered. "I can be airborne in five minutes."

He hadn't realized he had been holding his breath until he exhaled at the sound of her voice. She was in no pain. She certainly was not scared.

"There have been rumors of some mild conflicts in that area. Have you noticed anything?" he asked.

"Actually, yes, there was a rock throwing incident earlier, about a mile east of here. It was isolated and I did not find it significant. Was it?"

"Perhaps. I will cross-reference that with my other information," he said darkly.

"I'll alert you if something else happens," Wonder Woman said.

"Contact me when you return to the Watchtower. I will go there to discuss this with you," he said and signed off.

Then he contacted Alfred on the intercom.

"Dinner tonight will be for one tonight," he said.

"Very good, sir," came the prim response.

Batman waited. He knew Alfred too well. That wasn't actually going to be all.

"If I may, is the Princess in good health?" Alfred asked gently.

"She is." Suddenly, an idea struck. "Alfred, I must admit I don't know what you are making. Any way it could successful transport to the Watchtower?"

"Certainly, sir. For one or for two?"

"Two."

"Very good sir," Alfred said. The words might have been a repeat but Alfred's entire tone changed. Although it remained formal, he was clearly happier with that answer. Batman repressed a small smile. Although he was usually annoyed by Alfred's obvious interest and occasional meddling with his relationship with Wonder Woman, he knew it was a sign of Alfred's affection for them both.

As he was making a few additional arrangements for his plan, he found himself looking back at the photograph. His mood darkened. There was only one thing he could do. But he would not, under any circumstances, let someone use her to get to him.


	3. More Questions

Chapter 2: More Questions

The phone in Westan's lab rang. Westan stared at it for a moment. He thought that phone had just been for show. He used the one in his office because he didn't even know the number in the lab. But he stepped away from his microscope and crossed the room to pick up the earpiece.

"Hello?" he said, trying to sound calm and confident.

"Dr. Kyle Westan," the male voice on the other end said. "I have been looking forward to talking to you."

"Who is this?" Westan answered.

"A man who operates in circles that are enjoying the story about the thirteen-year-old who threw kryptonite at Wonder Woman for fifty bucks," the voice responded. "A man who, although laughed at that story, suspects the rumors about it being you are wrong. A man who will provide you the protection you now require because Waller isn't laughing."

Westan's heart stopped for a moment. "Waller thinks I paid a kid to throw kryptonite at Wonder Woman? That can't be right. I've done too much work on her biology to think that would work."

"Obviously. But you tell me then, who would pay a kid to do that?"

Westan was still panicked but maintained the frame of mind to say "I still don't know your name."

"My name is not the point right now. What I can offer you is protection from Waller. She probably knows you didn't do it but the word is out that you did so it doesn't matter. Reality is perception, you know."

"So, what do you want?"

"You will be fired before the day is out. What I want is for you to have the good sense to download your research and get out of there before it is official. I can arrange for your protection and a place for you to continue to your work at a higher pay."

Westan looked around the lab, grabbed a jump drive and put it in the nearby computer. He wasn't sure if he was going to trust this stranger with his life, but he did need to protect his research. Once he saw the files were moving, he spoke again into the phone.

"Assuming I accept," he said, "how do I find you?"

There was a pause. "You get into the white car outside."

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Ten minutes later, Lex Luthor received a call that Kyle Westan was in the car he sent. He smiled and hung up the phone.

His joy lasted only a second. He had another call to make but he couldn't. He didn't know who he was calling.

_So, who threw the damn rock?_

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Trickster was howling with laughter as once again he described the look on Wonder Woman's face when "the kid" threw the kryptonite at her.

Mirror Master groaned with boredom.

"Enough! We need to figure out what to do next. What is her weakness? How do we stop her," he asked. "If Sally could get her powers, then we can do it. It is just a matter of figuring out how."

"We don't need to figure out how!" Trickster said. "We hold her and make the League tell us."

There were three figures sitting in the basement of a deserted bank building. The basement was dark but there were several old, mismatched pieces of furniture set up in a semi circle, each with a floor lamp behind it. Otherwise, the room was empty. But it worked for the group whenever they wanted to work together. No security was required. Not even Flash knew about the place. However, that was more of a sign of how rarely the Central City villains worked together than any oversight on the part of Flash.

Trickster and Mirror Master had been bickering for the better part of an hour. The Trickster had told the three-member team that he could "get" Wonder Woman. However, in the tradition of the Trickster, it seemed that it was a plan with about a hundred steps to it and none of them appeared very promising. Captain Cold had let them bicker. During the few times they had all worked together, he found that he could do his own thinking while they fought and he could join the conversation when he was ready.

He was ready. Sitting across the room from the two of them, he looked at Trickster without trying at all to disguise his look of disgust.

"Explain to me why _you _think we are going to capture Wonder Woman and make the League tell us how to turn her blood into a meta-power drug? The drug is pointless. We capture Wonder Woman, let the League come to her rescue and make sure as few of them walk out as possible," he said. "This drug is just a red herring. I want Flash gone more than I want to play with her blood."

Mirror Master looked at Captain Cold. He nodded his head in agreement. Getting rid of Flash was always the most interesting part of the plan.

"But I want to _fly,_" Trickster whined. "Sally got to fly. Why can't I fly?"

The disgust moved into Captain Cold's voice now. "Sally, the petty thief she was, did fly. And during the one day we know about, she didn't actually succeed in doing anything and ended up in the hospital. Have you seen her since? She disappeared from the hospital and no one has heard anything from her. Do you really think that she is still alive?"

That stopped Trickster in mid-protest.

Having everyone's attention now, Captain Cold leaned over, put his elbows on his knees and said in a low voice, "all right, then, this is what we are going to do."

But he was interrupted by his ringing cell phone.

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Diana returned to the Watchtower and immediately headed to her room for a shower. She was fairly sure that there was no kryptonite residue anywhere and wasn't planning on getting close enough to either Superman or Supergirl for any powder to cause a problem, but knew it would ease her mind.

There was a note on her door that said simply "Conference Room 3." It was Bruce's handwriting. For a brief moment, she thought about heading straight there but didn't. She removed the note and went in for her shower.

Although the entire League knew there were actually four conference rooms in the Watchtower, the one that got the main use was "Conference Room 1" which held the regular meetings of the founders. Each room was configured differently. Conference Room 3 was the smallest conference room – it would hold about eight people around a single conference table. It was in a lesser used area of the Watchtower and Diana had already suspected that Bruce had put it there in case he ever needed to work out of the Tower. She was curious as to why they were meeting in the Watchtower rather than in at Wayne Manor. She wasn't particular worried about it as she had long since grown accustomed to Bruce's quirks but between his tone of voice earlier, his interest in the rock throwing and the meeting suggested there was something going on that she didn't know about.

Diana did not react well to being left out of the loop.

When she entered Conference Room 3, there was a vibe that told her all her instincts about something else going on were absolutely right. The conference table had been covered in a table cloth, there were candles burning in the center of a wonderfully set dinner for two. But Batman had come to dinner, not Bruce. And even though protecting his identity from the newer members of the League was important, he also could have changed.

When he turned to look at her, she arched an eyebrow at him and moved her head in the direction of the security cameras in a silent inquiry of whether or not they had been disconnected.

"Yes," Batman answered softly. Even with the cowl covering his eyes, it was clear that he was admiring her simple black skirt and red silk tank top. As if to prove that the cameras were off, he walked over to her and kissed her. After he pulled back, he looked her over for a moment and motioned to the table.

_Oh, what are you thinking?_ Diana thought. His behavior was just a little off. Even with the cowl on, she was sensing some sadness and anger from him, neither of which she could think of a reason for.

She made her way over to the table and sat down. Batman removed his cowl and looked at her.

"The rock," he said abruptly.

She told him, omitting nothing but her opinions. When she was finished, they ate crab bisque for a few minutes in silence. Diana knew Bruce was processing the information and would say something when he was ready. She had said everything there was to say on the subject and was happy to just enjoy the food.

"Your thoughts?" he asked finally.

Having finished the soup, she took a bite of the salmon steak on her plate before she answered.

"I would complete dismiss it as a prank if it hadn't been kryptonite. I mean, it was young boy. And kryptonite is not easy to come by. The question is does someone think that kryptonite could hurt me and if so, is there more to it than just getting rid of me? It is part of a bigger plan to use our weaknesses against us? But a master evil plan starting with a young boy throwing kryptonite at me doesn't feel right."

Bruce slid an envelope over to her. "What does this do to your thinking?"

She opened the envelope and looked at the photograph.

"That doesn't make any……unless," she looked up at him. "These two events aren't connected."

Bruce smiled faintly. "That is my conclusion as well."

Diana paused as she realized Bruce's mood had suddenly improved.

"But you thought they were," she said softly.

"I wasn't sure. It was a possibility."

"So how exactly were you planning to let the anonymous source know that you had ended our relationship and I mean nothing to you?" she asked dryly.

He looked at her. His expression, which had softened only seconds ago, hardened again.

"This is what I was talking about," he said firmly.

Diana wished she could pretend she didn't know what he was talking about. But she did. His list of reasons why they shouldn't be involved.

"I had thought that gargoyle's sacrifice had illustrated my thoughts on the subject," she said, referring to the statue she had broken at the suggestion that someone could use her to get to him.

"It had."

"Good. Then let me worry about me. You figure out what the research is for and who is funding it. It is a mystery were one shouldn't exist and it bothers me."

He looked at her darkly for a moment. They were opposites in so many ways and yet alike in as many ways. There was no point in arguing about whether or not Diana could take care of herself. They both knew she could. However, there also was no point in arguing about whether or not Batman would blame himself if someone did discover her weakness because they both knew he would. So the couple ate in silence for a few moments in an acknowledgement of both sides of the issue and that if the situation was reversed, they would be having the same disagreement but the roles would be reversed.

"I will tell Superman at the next Founders meeting about the kryptonite. He needs to know to be careful," Diana said finally.

Batman said nothing. Then, finally he asked "how did that boy know you were going to be on that street at that time?"

Diana stared at him and realized that in her concern as to where the kryptonite came from, she had missed the bigger question.

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Waller was in her office meeting with Don Bortz, the photographer, who was once again requesting more money for the photos of Batman and Wonder Woman. This time, he was brave enough to do it in person.

Waller's office was simple. Designed to impress, she sat in a large black leather office chair behind a large oak desk that had only a small laptop computer and a phone. There was no paper to be seen. Bortz sat in one of the two black leather guest chairs in front of the desk. There were matching bookcases that were filled with leather-bound books and photographs of Waller with important people. Her degrees were framed and hanging on a wall with more photographs of Waller with important people. The other walls contained abstract art that, if looked at carefully, were numbered in acknowledgement of their limited edition status. On the credenza behind her, there was a neat stack of files and a small cup with expensive pens in it.

That sort of display was not going to intimidate Don Bortz, the Navy Seal who had turned celebrity photographer. She had hired him because he was the only one she could think of who would not only be able to get close enough to take photos of Batman but wouldn't ask any questions about why someone wanted those photos. She hadn't counted on his greed.

"My magazine would pay three times as much for those photos," he said for the second time.

"I doubt that," she replied, bored with the conversation. In fact, your magazine has, last time I checked, seemed to have given up on linking Wonder Woman with anyone."

It was a weak argument and she knew it. However, Bortz clearly thought he was going to walk in, make his demand and walk out with money so even a weak argument would throw him.

And it did.

"But now I have Batman and Wonder Woman photos. And besides, I did some research into who Wonder Woman has been linked with in the last several years."

Waller arched an eyebrow. She thought "research" might be a strong word but she was willing to let it pass.

"There has been a lot of speculation about her and Superman but no one has ever gotten anything about them and I frankly never thought they were an item. She has been photographed with Arthur Jacob, the curator of the Metropolis Museum of Art a lot but she consults for the museum on Greek and Roman art and none of the photos suggest anything romantic. There was a duke who was involved in that Kasnia royal wedding she was in as well but I haven't seen anything with them in ages. But that's really it, and then you get a bunch of photos of her with various VIPs at various charity events. Oliver Green, Bruce Wayne, Lex Luthor – people like that. But it makes sense, if she was involved with Batman, why there really isn't anything with her and anyone else."

With that, he tossed some copies of photos onto the desk. Waller looked at them and they were exactly what he said they were.

"I think," she said quietly, "that you are forgetting the details of our agreement. I wanted photos that would conclusively provide me with Batman's identity. I don't really care who he is sleeping with. That I paid you at all for those photographs is a sign of generosity. You are abusing it."

Bortz looked directly at her and his voice softened a bit. He wasn't threatening but he clearly thought she had made his point for him.

"Then let me give the photos to someone who does want them. I am continuing to track Batman and I am confident I will have something soon."

Waller arched an eyebrow at him. Sometimes greed made fools of even the smartest people. "Fine. You have my permission to sell the photos to anyone you want. Keep in mind however, that Batman knows the photos exist and when he sees your photo credit in a magazine, he may want to talk to you. But I am sure you can handle yourself."

Bortz paled, proving Waller right – he hadn't thought about that. However, he wasn't going to concede to her.

"Thank you," he said as he stood up. "I appreciate your time and your understanding."

Waller smiled at him and watched him leave. Then she began to flip through the photographs Bortz had left on her desk. He was right – there were several photos of her with the curator but in all of them, neither of them, in expression or body language, suggested anything but business. In the photographs with the duke, he was clearly interested in her but she was not in him.

She flipped through the rest of them, slightly embarrassed that she was as interested in the photos as she was. She was looking at a photo of Bruce Wayne and Wonder Woman dancing at a charity event when something in her mind clicked. She looked back at the photos from the wedding in Kasnia. It was a strange photo – one that the official photographer took and sold to magazines. But it was close-up of Wonder Woman and the duke during their introductions with some of the crowd in the background.

Waller had to pull out her magnifying glass but there was Bruce Wayne in the background. He was looking at the pair but it wasn't a look of lust or longing or jealousy or any of the possible expressions Waller would have expected. He was looking at the duke like the man had borrowed something of Wayne's without his permission and he was not in a sharing mood.

Suddenly frantic, Waller pulled all the photos of Wayne and Wonder Woman. They outnumbered the photos of her and any other person, expect the duke. She looked at the photo of her and Wayne dancing at a charity event and the photo of Wonder Woman and Batman kissing.

_Wayne and Batman have the same chin and are the same height_, she thought. _But that's simply not possible. _

But it was. She smiled. Bortz had fulfilled his task without even knowing it.

She couldn't take any chances though. She picked up the phone, dialed a number and gave the man on the other end Bortz's home address.

Bortz was going to have a difficult evening.


	4. Unite to Conquer

Chapter 3: Unite to Conquer

Wonder Woman had never been more than five minutes late to a staff meeting. So, when Superman realized she was ten minutes late (and counting), Superman called her on the communicator. He was standing behind his usual chair with the rest of the members looking at him with varying degrees of annoyance and boredom.

"I know. I am seconds away," she answered curtly.

She hadn't exaggerated. Before Superman could relay the message to the rest of the group, she came storming into the room. She was very angry. The rage was nearly visible as she sat down in her chair.

It took only a second for the other members to see why – a large piece of hair was missing, giving her a noticeably uneven hairline across the bottom.

"What happened?" Flash asked.

"Trickster," she hissed. "While I was keeping a bus from falling on some people, he cut off a piece of my hair to see if that was somehow going to cripple me. I guess he confused me with Sampson. His vision, I suppose, was that the bus would crush me."

Flash looked both angry and embarrassed. "I know where he hides out. I can take care of it."

Diana looked at him like he had spoken to her in another language. "Oh, no need. _I _took care of him," she said darkly.

Flash flushed a little at her tone. He was nearly as protective of his city as Batman was of Gotham.

Superman looked at the group with a strange choking quality to his voice. "Well, I wanted Wonder Woman to start the meeting by talking about the strange event from a few days ago. I suppose this is a good way of opening those talks."

Diana glared at him. He was trying so hard not to laugh at her hair that his face was beginning to turn pink. She understood that she looked silly but she was furious that innocent people had been at risk because someone had literally wanted a piece of her. Her job was to keep people from danger, not cause them to be in danger, especially over something as stupid as some of her hair. She took a deep breath and focused on giving a clear report on what was happening.

"On two separate occasions, someone had attempted, I believe, to determine my weakness. The first time someone paid a child to throw kryptonite at me. And you've heard about this last time. Has it been happening to anyone else?"

The silence spoke volumes. Wonder Woman sighed quietly, whether from relief or frustration even she wasn't entirely sure.

Flash looked at her. "How did Trickster get a bus into the air?"

If looks could kill, Flash would have been reduced to a pile of dust. "Trickster is the one I caught," she said smoothly. "Captain Cold forced the bus off an overpass which went over the park. Trickster had set up an ice cream tasting booth so that the maximum number of people would be nearby. They timed it against the opening of the Greek pottery exhibit at the Park Museum so it was not a secret that I would be nearby."

"Captain Cold and Trickster are working together?" Flash asked.

Again, Diana glared at him. She looked on Flash as a brother and, like any good sibling relationship; there were moments during which she desperately wanted to kill him.

"Apparently," she said, the frustration clear in her voice. "Trickster and I didn't focus on that during our brief chat before I handed him over to the police."

Flash was clearly about to ask another question when Batman interrupted. "This is pointless. We need to know 'why' and the 'what' before these two attract the attention of someone with a better plan."

J'onn J'onzz looked at Diana. "What are the chances they will discover your weakness?" he asked Wonder Woman.

She smiled at him. "It is highly unlikely."

"But they aren't going to stop trying," Superman said firmly. "Batman is right. We need to find out what they want, why they want it and why they want you disabled and not dead."

"I agree," Wonder Woman replied. "So I have decided to let them catch me. In three days there is a VIP reception for the pottery exhibit at the Park Museum and it is widely publicized I'll be there. I can only assume there will be another attempt then. Whatever they try, I will let them think it has worked and then I can control the situation. I think it is the only way to get the answers to the questions we need in order to stop whatever they are planning and minimize the risk to innocents."

"No," Superman said. "We need a better plan."

Batman looked at him with the frustration clear on his face. "A better plan? We have a time, a place, the element of surprise and enough time to explore the area and develop a strategy. What would you like to see from a plan?"

"I would like to see a plan where we are not purposefully putting a team member in danger," Superman replied, glaring at Batman.

"Danger is so much better when it comes as a surprise," Batman responded sarcastically before returning to his usual dry tone. "And it did. Diana is already in danger. Let's get some answers and end it."

Diana looked at the two men as they glared at each other. Their verbal sparring was the stuff of legend but she did not enjoy being treated like a junior member while the two of them argued about her plan. However, although she knew she was right, it was only appropriate to let the other members discuss the plan until they came to the conclusion she did.

It didn't take long. Even the Man of Steel's protests about Diana's safety finally silenced when he realized he did not have a better alternative.

"All right then," he said finally. "J'onn will be there to stay telepathically linked to Diana. Then, depending on what other missions have come up between now and then, at least two League members will monitor Diana and three others will patrol the museum area."

The other members nodded in agreement. Superman looked straight at Diana.

"I don't like the risk, but you're right, there isn't another way. They aren't going to stop until they find something."

She looked at him and smiled faintly. She agreed with him completely.

-------------------------------

Amanda Waller looked across the table at Lex Luther and said in a very sweet voice. "What have you done with Kyle Weston?"

Luther looked at her. They were in her office this time for their weekly meeting. Next week, they would be in his. Usually meetings "at her place" also included a tour of various labs with projects of interest. Today, Waller's interest was on the project and the scientist who had disappeared. Granted, she had been on her way to throw him out when she realized he was gone, but that, in her mind, was far from the point.

"Done with him?" Luther repeated with a surprised tone. "His project was sucking up money and not producing results. Why would I want him?"

"That would, naturally, be my follow-up question."

Waller and Luther got along as well as two power-hungry individuals ever could. But when the conversations were more about avoiding the topic than actually discussing anything, Waller found herself more likely to watch the clock. She didn't have time to play games and more often than not, it seemed like Luther's favorite past time. She wanted action.

"So, you know nothing about where he might be? Because at this current time, all I know is where he isn't. He is not here, at the university where we found him, his residence or his sister's place and he hasn't been at those places at all for the past three days. I find this development odd."

Luther looked at her for a while and indulged himself in a long, slow blink. "I agree. He certainly isn't clever to stay in hiding on his own."

"And certainly not from me," Waller said darkly.

The staring match continued for another moment. Waller was beginning to realize that she was not going to get an answer from Luther, which basically meant that he did know something but he respected her too much to flat out deny it. She supposed she ought to be grateful for that level of respect.

With an internal sigh, she began to review the projects he was concerned with and give him the updates he needed. Weston was not mentioned again in an unspoken acknowledgement that he would be put aside for the moment but the issue was not finished.

-------------------------------

Because of the photographer, Batman had made Diana promise not to come to Wayne Manor. He would come to her, he told her. The disappointment on her face was quickly covered but he knew how she felt. Wayne Manor had become something of a safe house for the lovers. Sneaking around the Watchtower would mean losing the cocoon they both enjoyed when they were at the Manor. But even for the warm affection of his princess, Batman was not going to risk his identity being discovered.

His patrol for the evening had ended. It had been an unusually busy night, it seemed the warm weather after the days of rain had inspired criminals to cause trouble. There was nothing he couldn't handle and it was a rare evening when he could return to the Batcave with no regrets for what he had failed to do or what he had not done in time.

In spite of that, he was restless. He knew Diana wouldn't be waiting for him in the study with a book and a cup of tea. He knew that she was literally miles above him. A vision of her, asleep with her hair framing her face on the pillow leapt unbeckoned into his mind. He suppressed it but not as quickly as he could have.

After checking in briefly with Alfred and resuppling his belt, he decided he would head to the Park Museum and get a feel for the large park that gave the museum its name. He wasn't sure if he would be a part of the mission. Part of him screamed that he had to be there and another part was equally as loud proclaiming that he would be too emotional, too involved in the outcome to provide any real help. Whatever side of his internal battle won, he knew that his efforts in developing a strategy for protecting Diana would be critical. He could discuss his thoughts with Diana, who would know the plans for the actual event and the two of them could develop a strategy which would provide her the best protection possible.

As he got into the Batplane for the short trip to the museum, he shook his head. Diana had gotten farther under his skin than even he had realized. His desire to protect her was far more than his desire to keep a team member hurt or to even protect her. It was because he was afraid of how much he would hurt if she hurt.

_This is why I didn't want to get involved with you_, he thought with a mix of anger and affection.

But it was too late now. He wouldn't admit it to her and he didn't have to, but sometimes, like now, when he was flying alone in the middle of the night with very little to occupy his mind, he would confess to himself that he loved her.

And although he suspected it would one day be his undoing, he didn't care.

-------------------------------

Dr. Kyle Weston sighed loudly and angrily before speaking. He was standing in his new lab which was located in a renovated warehouse which, when he was feeling kind, he thought of as a "forgotten" part of town. Probably "avoided" was more accurate.

"I understand that I asked for a hair sample and that, is fact, exactly what you brought me," he said to Captain Cold who had managed to get the hair from Trickster before he went to the police station. Cold was leaning against one of the counter tops looking mildly annoyed by the entire speech. Weston found that he did not care.

"However, I needed the DNA from it so I literally needed it ripped from her head. This does me no good."

Weston was right. Captain Cold was annoyed. He understood that this project was being backed by some serious money now and that Weston knew how to give them meta-powers, but he was tired of taking his marching orders from a researcher who clearly had no idea what it took to get the items he kept demanding. He certainly didn't like being treated like an idiot.

"Well, the good news," he said without trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice, "is that we have another shot at it. In a couple of days, she is back there at a reception."

Weston looked happy for the first time since they met. Captain Cold got a little nervous from the sudden change. "How many days exactly?"

"Three."

"Outstanding. Mirror Master will have his project done tonight and so we have time to test it out, make any modifications and get it into place. We'll grab Wonder Woman, take all the blood we need and get her back to the site before rest of the Justice League knows what's happened."

Captain Cold looked at him without comment.

"In six months and three days, you can be flying if you want to be."

Captain Cold smiled. That was what he wanted to hear.


	5. A Glitch in the Plan

Chapter 4: A Glitch in the Plan

To Diana's way of thinking, too much thought and planning were spent on her behalf over the next two days. She had gotten into more than one argument with Superman over whether or not she was underestimating Trickster and his crew. Flash had nearly stopped talking to her at one point because he was convinced that she wasn't taking them seriously.

She was. She took the entire plan and the situation very seriously. But she was an Amazon warrior and defending herself from some men who thought she was incapacitated was not going to send her into a panic. In fact, she was much more excited about getting the answers she needed than she was worried about the probable attack in the park.

Batman did not talk to her about it at all when the couple was alone. Plans, strategies and layouts were all discussed in a group setting and there was certainly no doubt in her mind that he was thinking about it. But he clearly didn't want to talk about it and she didn't bring it up. For that bit of peace, she was grateful.

She had returned to her room after her workout which had followed the last meeting before the day at the museum. Stomping on even holograph villains had done much to alleviate her frustration at the second-guessing and last minute concerns from the meeting.

She took a hot shower and changed quickly into a pair of sweatpants and a cotton tank top – her evening uniform – and prepared herself for a peaceful evening reviewing the pottery on exhibit so that she would have some comments ready about them when asked. She smiled as she stood in the bathroom, towel-drying her hair. As much as she enjoyed the cultural work, she was amused by those people who wanted to hear something insightful on what was, in essence, the ancient version of a coffee mug. In fact, at one past event after being particularly pushed to provide insights into the implications of a wine carafe, she retorted "well, what does the wine glass that you are holding say about you and your culture?"

Fortunately, Arthur Jacob, the curator of the Metropolis Museum of Art, who was in charge of the exhibit, thought the comment was funny.

She opened the door from the bathroom to the rest of her room and sensed that she was not alone. She smiled. She knew that scent anywhere.

"Bruce," she said warmly. "A pre-patrol visit. I am honored."

She stood in the doorway, smiling at him. Batman was sitting on the small chair in front of her desk. Diana had a very simple room without a lot of furnishing and what she did have was highly functional. He could never figure out how she still managed to make it warm and inviting.

"Superman wanted to talk to me after the meeting about tomorrow," he answered without moving. "I am part of the team now."

"Really?" Diana answered, sitting down across from him on her bed. "I thought you were going to be in Gotham tomorrow evening."

"I should be," he answered darkly. "They don't need me, but I am the team coordinator now. According to Kent, League members obey me faster."

Diana laughed. "I can't imagine why."

Batman removed his cowl and Diana saw a gleam in his eye as he smirked at her. "Go figure," he said.

His expression remained light. "But I wanted you to know. You don't need me there but really, how can I say 'no' to being put in charge?"

She smiled. "That is quite a temptation, I'm sure."

She was having a hard time reading him, which usually meant he was somewhat conflicted about his feelings. She rested her hands palms down on his knees. He took them into his own.

"I'm glad you'll be there. You can keep Superman in line. He is worrying himself into a tizzy. I am tempted to ask Martha to come up with some reason why he has to be in Smallville tomorrow."

Bruce smiled. He did sometimes forget that Martha Kent and Diana had become good friends. The two women didn't see each other as often as they would like but they had an excellent time together during the rare occasions they did meet.

"He cares about you," Bruce said.

She nodded. "I know. That's why I don't talk to Martha. He doesn't like just watching from the sidelines. Like someone else I know," she said looking into Bruce's eyes.

Bruce smiled. "I thought all I did was watch from the shadows."

She smiled back. "You may pick your moment a little differently but no, you certainly don't only watch."

Keeping her hands in his, he put her hands together and gently kissed them. Then, resting his chin on their hands, he looked at her.

"Make sure you have some fun at this reception tomorrow. Don't let all this ruin why you are there."

Diana smiled warmly. He would never tell her to be careful. He would never ask her if she thought she could handle it all because they both knew she would be careful and she could handle herself. But in his efforts to not say those things to her, other things he also would probably never say to her shown in his eyes.

"I will. Besides, Trickster and his group won't know what to do with me once they've caught me," she said lightly.

His eyes softened. "I know the feeling," he whispered before kissing her. The kiss quickly deepened.

For the next hour, no words were required.

She woke up when he left her side. She smiled and purred a little when he leaned over to kiss her good night on his way out.

Gotham was calling him. He would fight his battle tonight and she would fight hers the following night.

-------------------------------

"Position one checking in. Wonder Woman just arrived," Black Canary said over the open channel on the communicator.

Batman, from his location on the roof of the museum's storage warehouse, turned towards Black Canary's position with his binoculars. He found Diana quickly. She was wearing a long red dress and was holding a large matching handbag. It was impossible to tell by looking at her, but she was wearing her armor under the dress and the tiara and lasso were in the bag. She was wearing the bracelets and the boots. He had seen her practice – she could get out of the dress and completely in uniform in under 20 seconds. He suspected that when there was actual danger and she didn't care about preserving the dress, that time would drop to under 10 seconds.

She looked stunning as she walked into the museum but Batman focused on keeping his expression flat and his eyes in her surrounding area. Superman and J'onn were standing next to him watching her enter as well.

"Position two checking in," Vigilante said with his heavy accent. "No one seems to be hangin' around."

"Position three checking in," Flash said immediately. "Nothing going on here."

The four positions – Batman, Superman and J'onn being the fourth – surrounded the museum at the major compass points. Although J'onn and Superman were currently standing with Batman, they would take turns taking to the air to look for any activity there.

The reception would begin in the museum and then, after about 30 minutes, the party would move outside to the sculpture garden located at the back of the museum for the remainder of the evening. Batman had a clear view of the garden but no one was positioned inside the brick wall that enclosed it. Diana had insisted on that. No one was joining her in the museum or in the sculpture garden. Superman had argued but Batman had stopped it. This was her mission and she could handle it the way she saw fit. Within reason.

"All right, according to the agenda, the party will head outside in about 20 minutes," Batman said into the communicator. Then he turned to J'onn. Although he didn't ask, the question was clear on his face.

"She's happy and intellectually stimulated," he answered quickly.

Batman nodded. Superman looked at Batman before he flew around the grounds.

"You really think this is going to happen when they go outside?" he asked.

Batman looked at him. "The other two were outdoor attacks," he answered.

Superman sighed. "I can't decide if I am angry or grateful that you don't seem more concerned about this whole thing."

Batman met his eye but said nothing as Superman flew off.

Superman returned a few moments later and the three waited in silence. They watched as the catering company finished the final set-up of the sculpture garden and Batman sent Flash over the wall to see if there was someone he recognized. There wasn't. Flash went over again when the string quartet moved outdoors. Again no one.

Finally, the party moved outside.

After 15 minutes, Vigilante called in saying he thought he saw some movement in the trees in the park and went to investigate. He signed on again a few minutes later and said whatever it was, it was gone.

Batman was about to send Flash to widen the search when when the flash of light appeared in the middle of the sculpture garden. When the light cleared, Mirror Master stood holding a large weapon. Diana was already in uniform and trying to get the crowd inside to safety.

"Flash! Diana needs some crowd control help," Batman shouted. He saw a red streak go over the wall and start moving the panicked crowd back inside as Diana flew over to Mirror Master, who was struggling to get a lock with the weapon.

Black Canary and Vigilante also raced into the museum.

Superman looked at Batman, whose eyes didn't leave the scene. "What is he carrying?"

"An electrostatic cannon," Batman answered calmly. "Someone has decided they don't care about her weakness anymore."

"I'm going in," Superman said. Batman grabbed his arm. Just the touch was enough to make the Man of Steel pause which was good because they both knew Batman was not going to be able to hold Superman back.

"No, you aren't," Batman said darkly. "It won't kill her and we still need answers."

"No, this plan has failed. I'm getting her out."

Even before Superman could fly off, Mirror Master discharged the gun. A blast of energy hit Diana at point blank range. They all heard her scream and then she, Mirror Master and the gun all disappeared.

"Shining Knight," Batman screamed to the man observing Diana's position at the WatchTower. "I need a position on Diana's communicator. Now."

"I lost it for a….oh, it is in Metropolis. In the warehouse district."

"Coordinates now!" Batman barked. "Superman is on route." As he said it, he gave Superman a shove. "Position leaders, get that museum empty! I don't want anyone in the sculpture garden until I can get down there."

Batman was vaguely aware of Superman acknowledging coordinators from Shining Knight as he turned to look at J'onn.

"She is unconscious but alive. And seems to be unhurt."

Although Batman said nothing, J'onn felt a scream of rage from the Dark Knight's mind. J'onn indulged in a moment of sympathy for Batman before flying beside him as he slid down into the sculpture garden on a line from a batarang. No matter how hard humans tried, they were unable to keep their powerful emotions secret from the telepath.

Batman began his search of the area when he heard an angry Superman over the communicator. "Shining Knight, there is no one here," he bellowed. "Rerun the coordinates."

"They remain unchanged," Shining Knight said smoothly.

"Well, that can't……I have Diana's communicator," Superman said, his voice was little more than a moan.

"Try the back up," Batman ordered Shining Knight. He had put a tracer insider her tiara, after being inspired by someone else's tampering with it.

Seconds later, Superman was on his way to another set of coordinates.

"Flash!" Batman barked again. "Meet Superman onsite. And then find me at least one of this trio. I don't want to see you until you've found one."

"On it!" Flash replied.

As the position leaders checked in with Batman, he sent them into the park to look for any signs of a hiding place. He suspected they would find none. It looked like Mirror Master transported in and out again.

The minutes ticked by in silence. J'onn's eyes were lit as he stayed in contact with Diana. Batman knew he would alert him on any change. Mirror Master had been careful – he hadn't dropped anything and the set of his footprints left behind didn't tell the Dark Knight anything he didn't already know. He closed his eyes for a moment and pushed back the hopeless feeling building inside him.

_Nice work, Wayne. She is gone. You don't know where she is and you don't know if she is coming back_, his brain screamed at him.

"J'onn?" he asked simply.

"Her condition is unchanged. I cannot tell you what is happening to her but she remains unconscious and not in any pain. I believe they have sedated her."

Batman grunted his acknowledgement.

"Superman?" he called.

"I'm here. Flash is here. Trying not to set off any traps," came the response. "I can hear her breathing but the only talking I can here is someone yelling about hurrying up. Lead is all over the place so I can't see much. Going back to work now, I'll call when we know something."

"We've found something out here," Vigilante said. "A set of footprints that come from nowhere. I think they missed the first time."

"I'll be right there," Batman responded. His internal clock told her that she had disappeared ten minutes ago. He leapt over the wall and raced toward the small grouping of trees where Black Canary and Vigilante were exploring for clues.

The canon confirmed what he had suspected would happen. Trickster and his group had gotten the attention of someone with money and resources. It had happened faster than Batman would have thought possible. He needed to find out who that person was and when he found out….

That was the thought he was enjoying when he came into sight of Vigilante and Black Canary, who both took one look at him and took a step backwards. Batman closed his eyes for a long blink to regain control and pulled his cape around him. No point in scaring the rookies until they deserved it.

"Footprint?" he said softly.

Black Canary pointed to a set of boot prints between two of the trees. They matched the prints that Mirror Master made.

"He did miss. Vigilante, you must have seen the first hop. So, someone without a lot of training was working the controls. Or, someone who didn't know the layout of the museum very well," Batman said.

"Now what," Black Canary asked.

He looked at her. He knew exactly what the Green Arrow saw in her. Besides being stunning, she was strong and confident.

"We find her," he said and turned sharply on his heel. The two others fell in behind him.

Batman was headed back to the museum. He planned go to the rooftop to see if there was something he had overlooked when Superman called.

"We're found the room where they've got her," he said. "I'm leaving the link open."

"Go," Batman said darkly, the rage and frustration adding an edge of steel to his voice. "And bring me someone to talk to."

Batman heard what he suspected was Superman pushing the door out of his way. There were shouts, all of them male.

After a moment, Superman roared with anger.

"They've transported again. But she went separately. I'm going to have Flash go through the paperwork here to see if he can find something."

And then, Superman's voice registered the sorrow of the implications of his next statement. "I've lost her again."

"Knight!" Batman shouted.

"That will not be necessary," J'onn said calmly over the communicator. "Wonder Woman is here. Right where she disappeared from."

Batman raced back to the sculpture garden. Diana was moaning slightly as she returned to consciousness. Two cuts on her arms, on the underside of her elbows were bleeding slightly. Otherwise, she looked unharmed but extremely pale.

He dropped to his knees at her side and was only vaguely aware of J'onn, Black Canary and Vigilante beside him as he cradled her head with his hand. His brain was working on the implications of the marks while he waited for her to come around.

"That didn't go quite the way I wanted, did it?" she said as she began to sit up. Batman moved his hand down her back to assist her. She immediately moved to stand up.

"Sit for a minute," Batman said softly but Diana waved him off. She stood but immediately moaned and grabbed her head.

"I'm fine. Just a little dizzy," she said before passing out and falling into Batman's arms.


	6. Repercussions

Chapter 5: Repercussions

"She has lost a lot of blood," J'onn looked up from his examination of Diana to meet the eyes of Superman and Batman who had been at her bedside in the medical bay of the Watchtower since their return. He met Batman's gaze with the next statement.

"She will be fine. I am going to sedate her so she will rest. In twenty-four hours, I believe her accelerated healing should replace most of the blood she lost. I would reactivate her for missions in two days."

J'onn thought he saw the Dark Knight's shoulders and jaw relax a little. He certainly _felt _the relief from Batman. It didn't seem to put a dent in the feelings of guilt but once again, J'onn knew that the human didn't think he was projecting the emotions so the Martian played along.

"How much blood did they get," Batman asked.

"I cannot tell you exactly but certainly more than they should have been able to get that quickly. Perhaps as much as three pints. Whoever it was knew exactly how much they could take without killing her."

"They insist on keeping her alive. I wonder why," Superman asked. "And what are they going to do with her blood?"

Batman looked at him. He had a theory but he needed to check on the location of some people before he shared it.

"I'm going to the Batcave," he said, sounding bored. "I'll call when I know something. Call me if something changes."

Superman followed Batman as he walked out of the medical bay and into the hallway towards the transporter. Batman acted as if he were unaware of the Man of Steel walking only a foot behind him.

"Batman! What is going on?" he said sharply. The Dark Knight stopped and turned around slowly.

"Remember when that petty theft from Central City suddenly got metapowers? It was Diana's DNA that gave them to her. Someone must have improved the process but needed more blood."

Superman looked stunned. "That's why they want her alive. In case they need more. But who can do that?"

"Probably more people than you think are capable of it. I need to narrow down who actually did it."

Superman looked at Batman, considering him for a moment. The whole mission seemed to have the Dark Knight unusually agitated for reasons Superman could not understand. Batman had done the most work on developing the plan for the evening at the museum, but had to be dragged into participating. He had known Bruce a long time and even for him, it was strange behavior. While Superman was curious as to the cause, he realized he didn't care enough to engage in what would be a long and probably fruitless battle with Bruce for the answer.

"You did a good job today," Superman said, nearly surprising himself as he said it. He didn't think any differently, he just knew Bruce well enough to know it was a waste of words.

"You were right earlier," Batman responded coldly. "The plan failed. Now it is a salvage mission."

Superman sighed internally as Batman walked away. He had tried.

-------------------------------

_If he scares me this much when he is happy, what must he be like when he is angry?_ Kyle Weston thought as he listened to Lex Luthor praising the team for their work. Luthor was excited, asking about next steps and deadlines like a child who realized that his birthday party was after naptime.

But it was the tone that was scaring Weston. Despite the joy in his voice, there was an undertone of darkness. Luthor's brain was only enjoying the victory a little. He had already moved on to the project's completion and his new team of metapowered villains.

Although Weston didn't think that Luthor really wanted any of the three criminals any access to Wonder Woman's DNA. Weston was fairly sure that Luthor had other plans for it. Which meant eventually, Weston would be regarded as a liar to the group from Central City, which did not bode well for him.

_He hasn't been this happy since I gave him Wonder Woman's hair_, Weston thought again and realized that he didn't know – and he didn't want to know – what Luthor had done with it.

After a few more minutes, Luthor was done celebrating. He looked at Weston as if seeing him for the first time.

"Can this happen faster than in six months time?" he asked, sounding as if he was daring the man to disagree.

"It should. The first tests could happen as early as two weeks. It is just a matter of pulling the right proteins and mimicking them so they would work in someone else," Weston answered. He knew that Luthor understood phrases like "synthesis of the mimetic," "analogues" and "receptor binding" but he felt a strange loyalty to the three Central City villains so he simplified the language. He had been a university professor for years, it was not difficult for him to do so.

"Excellent. Well, I will leave you to it, then" Luthor said and left.

Weston winced once the door closed behind him. He realized he had just committed himself to have something in two weeks. He walked slowly to the refrigerator in the lab and got a vial of blood out of the rack. The three men from Central City said their goodbyes and left the lab.

He was not sleeping for a while.

-------------------------------

Batman had, after patrol, returned silently to the Watchtower and had been inches from the door of the medical bay when he clearly heard Flash's voice. Quietly, he looked through the window and found the Speedster sitting next to Diana talking to her unconscious form. Part of him wanted to march in there and demand to know what Flash was doing – he should have been out hunting but he realized Flash was there for the same reason he was. There was a lot of guilt to work through.

So, Batman decided to enter the back way and stay in the shadows while Flash did what he needed to do. He studied the monitors connected to Diana for a few moments.

_J'onn was right. It looks like by this time tomorrow, she'll be back to sipping iced mochas._

He sent a quick word of thanks to her gods and then indulged in a little eavesdropping.

"I am close to catching Trickster," the Flash told the sleeping Diana. "And I will figure out what they are up to. I don't know why they are working together, but I will find out and I will break it up."

Flash paused, staring off into space for a moment.

"I just want you to know that I will fix this. These are Central City guys and I know my responsibilities to you and the city. I don't care who is helping them, this is my problem. I will make it right."

With that, Flash patted her on her hand and left. Batman stood silently for a moment, stunned at what he just witnessed.

_Just when you think you have nothing in common with someone_, he thought.

"Princess, you are quite popular this evening," he said lightly and kissed her gently on her forehead before sitting down. She stirred at bit, whether at his touch or his voice or both, he wasn't sure, but he found himself smiling. "I thought I would stop by and check on you before heading back to the Cave for the night."

He spent the next few hours alternating between details of his patrol, tender words of affection and promises of vengeance.

"I know you can avenge yourself," he said at one point. "And I know you will want to but I should have known that they would attract a sponsor sooner than I estimated. So, I suppose we ought to do it together. I am sure there will be enough players to go around."

-------------------------------

J'onn entered the medical bay just after "dawn" Watchtower time. He found Batman sleeping in a chair by Wonder Woman. His arms were folded on the bed and his head was on his arms. At some point during the night, Diana must have woken up because one hand was on the back of his head and she had curled herself around him as much as possible.

J'onn smiled. It was a tender scene and he indulged in the warmth of it for a moment. Then, remembering the parties involved, he woke up Batman.

The Dark Knight awoke with a start. Before he could say anything, J'onn spoke.

"I will be back in five minutes," he said and left the medical bay.

Batman nodded at him gratefully.

He took a moment to gain his bearings and then kissed Diana's hand.

"Princess, I will be here when the sedative wears off," he said tenderly. With that, he left the Watchtower.

As he did not stop by his mailbox, the lone package in the slot continued to go unopened.

-------------------------------

"This is the first time you have treated me like a fool," Amanda Waller said as a greeting as she walked into Lex Luthor's office.

Luthor was clearly unbothered by the accusation. He looked up from the paperwork on his desk and smiled at her.

"Amanda, you are early. Welcome," he said, standing and gestured to a chair in front of his desk.

Not only was Luthor's office designed to impress, but he had the money to really succeed. Amanda had lived in places with less square footage than Luthor's office. The desk was massive and antique. All the furnishings were old and there was an impressive collection of ancient weaponry on the walls. The whole place spoke of a masculine influence and a readiness for battle.

"I am not sure what bothers me more – that you didn't think I would piece it all together after the attack on Wonder Woman or that it actually took the attack for me to put it all together," Waller said as she sat down in the offered chair.

"That, I cannot help you with," Luthor answered dryly.

"At least you aren't denying that you have Weston hidden away somewhere working on Amazon DNA," Waller said with a sigh. The lack of denial took some of the urge to argue out of her.

"I never said that I didn't have Weston," Luthor answered, sitting down at last.

Waller smiled a bit at that. If her memory was serving, he was right. He never had.

"I don't envy you the headache you just adopted, but since you took him off of my hands, I will return the favor with a friendly piece of warning – you will have a higher body count than you will have any really useable results. He has tried to convince me that he has improved his process, but I do not believe him."

Luthor nodded and said nothing for a moment but then his curiosity got the better of him. "Dare I ask what you did with the bit of hair?"

"Hopefully, I have convinced an annoyance to go away," she answered cryptically.

"And what might you know about the unfortunate accident involving the photographer Don Bortz?" Luthor asked.

Waller tilted her head as if confused by the question. "Only what I read in the paper. The bonfire of negatives and photos in the living room was very odd, I thought."

Luthor looked at her like a lion evaluating possible competition within the pride. She had quoted the newspaper article exactly with the phrase "bonfire of negatives and photos in the living room."

"Indeed," he finally acknowledged.

"Why? What do you know about it?" Waller asked.

"Only that you had him on the payroll for occasional projects."

Waller smiled. "Based on the crime scene photos of his house alone, it was quite obvious that I was by far not the only one sending him checks."

Luthor had to admit to the truth of that statement. The photographs of Bortz's condo showed a man who was not hurting for money. And, since Luthor had access to Waller's books, he knew that what she paid him did not match the quality of the furniture and stereo equipment.

Luthor and Waller continued the meeting both feeling like they had won and lost separate battles.

-------------------------------

Bruce Wayne had just completed his work out in the Batcave when the call came in over his communicator. Dressed in a pair of grey cotton shorts and a black t-shirt, he threw a grey towel over his neck and grabbed a bottle of water from the tray left just outside the gym as he listened.

"Bats?" Flash said boldly.

"Yes, Flash?"

"I have Trickster," Flash answered.

Bruce smiled. It was the satisfied smile of a cat who realizes that the mouse it was hunting has gotten itself cornered.

"Where are you? I can come get him." Bruce answered.

"I want to be there when you talk to him."

Bruce paused long enough to take a long drink of water before responding. "No. You don't."

"Yeah, I do. I know him. I can help you get information from him."

Bruce sighed inaudibly. "No. You can't."

"Then I'll just talk to him."

Bruce growled quietly, but loud enough that Flash heard.

"I don't think you understand. I respect that Trickster operates out of your city so I let you get him. Please do not think for a moment that I will not come there and find him myself. This is bigger than a turf battle."

"Only because it isn't your turf," Flash said. "I can get a lot out of him my way."

Bruce paused, his eyes narrowing.

_When did this kid get so bold?_ he thought. And then he knew the answer. _When he watched Diana disappear with one of Central City's worst._

"All right, Flash," Bruce answered after a moment. "Let's see how good you are. Let me join you and I'll let you question him and then if there is anything we don't know, I'll take over."

Even as the words left his mouth, Bruce could hardly believe he was saying them. But the kid deserved a break. He was beating himself up over this whole thing.

"All right." Flash said and rattled off his coordinates.

"I'll be there in ten minutes."

"Okay."

"Flash, this isn't your fault. None of it is. Let's find out whose fault it is, shall we?" Bruce said. _Now I'm channeling Kent? What the hell is wrong with me?_

Bruce could almost hear Flash smile over the com link. "I'll see you in ten."

As he put on the Batsuit, Bruce realized it didn't really matter who started the interrogation, as long as he got to finish it.

Again, he caught himself smiling.


	7. Finding Answers

Chapter 6: Finding Answers

_Two questions, _Flash fumed. _He kicked me out after two questions. Less than five minutes. _

Flash was standing on the other side of the door of a storage area of a café that Flash used on a rare occasion he wanted to hold and interrogate someone. He heard the low murmur of Batman and the Trickster's nearly hysterical voice in reply.

Flash had asked who else Trickster was working with and didn't get a real answer and then asked who was paying for everything and again, got a vague answer. Then, Batman said "leave" in a tone that left no room for discussion.

He was angry for a moment and then his usual good cheer regained control. Let Bats do what he is good at doing and now, with all this free time, Flash found he had time for a sandwich and maybe some other things.

By the time he was finished eating, Flash realized that 15 minutes had passed. It was probably time to check on Trickster. He was not mentally strong on a good day so at some point, he was going to just start blithering. At that point, a familiar masked face might get the last few answers they need.

Flash knocked gently and opened the door a crack. Trickster was still sitting in the chair in the middle of the storage room. Batman stood about a foot in front of him, his back rod-straight. His arms were crossed over his chest and his feet were planted shoulder-width apart. He was glaring at Trickster. Trickster threw a frantic glance to Flash but Batman ignored the speedster.

"And?" Batman said quietly.

"That's it!" Trickster hollowed. "I don't know anymore about it!

Batman said nothing. The silence only lasted a few seconds.

"Okay! My sister went to high school with Mirror Master! But they didn't date or anything. They just had chemistry together!"

Batman nodded once. "We are done here," he said, clearly to Flash, although he didn't take his eyes off of Trickster.

Trickster visibly relaxed. Flash pushed the door open completely. Batman turned and walked out of the room.

"I assume you will take care of him," he said, stopping for a second but looking straight ahead. It wasn't a question.

"Yup," Flash said.

"Then come to the Watchtower. I'm calling a meeting."

-------------------------------

Diana opened her eyes and moaned. She was groggy from being drugged too much for too long.

She closed her eyes again and focused on her body. Nothing felt wrong or hurt. She was a little weak overall, but without knowing how long she had been in the medical bay, she wasn't worried about that.

She heard a voice but put her hand up before her mind registered the words. Another few seconds later, she determined that she was physically whole.

_Thank you, Hera._

"Okay, now," she said aloud, lowering her hand. She hadn't opened her eyes quite yet.

"Good morning, Princess," Batman said softly.

The sound of his voice warmed her and when she opened her eyes, they sparkled as she looked at him. Then the words registered.

"Morning?" she demanded. "How long have I been out?"

She looked around. She was sitting in the only occupied bed of the medical bay with Batman standing beside her. J'onn was standing a short distance away.

_He knows_, she thought and realized after more than a year of working as hard as she could to keep her relationship a secret, she was actually relieved that someone else knew.

Just as she was about to repeat her question, she saw Superman walk through the door and smile at her. She swung her legs over end of the bed and stood up. She was shaky for a second but it quickly passed.

"Diana," he said. "It is good to see you awake. I thought you were going to sleep forever."

"How long have I been out?" she asked again.

"Thirty-eight hours," J'onn answered. "After you fainted, we sedated you for 24 hours and then, you slept on your own for the rest of it."

"What's wrong with me?" she demanded.

"A few pints of blood were taken. The majority has been restored," J'onn replied. "There should be no long term difficulties."

She looked at J'onn for a moment and then turned to Superman. She arched an eyebrow at him.

Superman sighed. "All right. If it would easy your mind," he said.

She punched him in the stomach. Not as hard as she could, but enough to test her strength. He flew back about two feet which, she realized, was about right.

When he regained his footing, Superman smiled. "Happy?"

She smiled back. "Yes, actually. Thank you."

"Fine, but next time, just see if you can still fly."

She smiled again. "That's no fun."

Batman cleared his throat. Diana still smiled. He was the only person she knew who could sound both bored and disgusted while clearing his throat.

"If you are both done, we are all due at the Founders meeting," he said dryly.

Diana's smiled faded.

"Answers?" she asked.

Batman turned toward her. "Some," he said dryly.

Diana's eyes widened with excitement and she literally flew to the conference room.

_Show-off_, Batman thought with a hidden smile as the rest left of the medical bay. The grief and guilt of the last two days faded a little at the familiar sight of Diana, full of purpose, flying away from him.

-------------------------------

Flash was the last to arrive at the meeting. Diana tossed him an angry look as he sat down, which Flash didn't see and everyone else at the table ignored. Batman didn't repeat himself so he didn't start talking until they were all there, which meant that Diana had to wait to hear what Batman knew.

Amazons were not known for their patience.

"You're awake, gorgeous," Flash said happily. "Are you feeling all right?"

She found that despite her annoyance, she smiled at him. She adored Flash. She enjoyed his good cheer and found that although sometimes she wanted to pound him, the feeling never lasted long.

"I'm fine, thank you. And thanks for the help at the museum. The crowd seemed to be frozen."

He winked at her and then joined the rest of the Founders who were looking at Batman, waiting for him to begin.

"You called this meeting," Superman said lightly.

"Thirteen months ago, university research Kyle Weston went on an indefinite sabbatical from his university work for 'government service.' Other than the fact it is top secret, there is no record at the university of where he went or what he is doing. He is a DNA expert, focusing on manipulation. The day after the first attack on Wonder Woman, a 'government representative' contacted the university looking for Weston. The same representative has been in Weston's home and the residences of nearby friends and family," Batman began.

"He went AWOL?" Green Lantern asked.

Batman's eyes narrowed slightly at the interruption. "Someone scared him into leaving. The same day Weston disappeared; Captain Cold, Mirror Master and Trickster were invited to help a professor develop a way of getting metapowers from Wonder Woman. They agreed and moved to a complex on the outskirts of the industrial area of Metropolis."

"Who invited them?" Superman asked.

Again, Batman's eyes narrowed and he found that he got a little bit of pleasure by answering. "Lex Luthor."

The change in Superman's expression was instant. The curiosity turned to anger.

"Luthor? How did Luthor get involved in this?" The Man of Steel more spat the question than asked it.

"That is the answer I don't have," Batman said darkly. "He must be somehow connected to the 'government service' project. I don't have a lot of answers surrounding whatever government entity is involved. However, the walls I have been hitting are the same walls I have been hitting investigating the group sponsoring the Kasnian gas research."

Wonder Woman, Flash and Batman had stopped an attempt by a Kasnian researcher to use a gas to subdue several members of a royal family he wanted to murder. The gas itself was not deadly, but the potential was there. The source of the research funding for the project had been a mystery, even to the researcher. Although he would be the first to admit he only looked into it during his spare time, the Dark Knight had been bothered by how difficult it was to find the source of the funding. This new development, however, had given him the motivation he needed to move it up his priority list. Luthor was very smart, Batman said, but his arrogance occasionally made him sloppy.

"I understand that the group from Central City is involved because of what happened with Sally, who was also from Central City," Diana said. "I can link Weston if he was the one originally behind Sally getting powers. I understand that Luthor, for some reason, lifted Weston from the government agency where he was working and Luthor was financing. I even understand that Luthor is using the group from Central City to test Weston's results before he uses them either on himself or for other purposes. But I cannot think of an umbrella project that would contain both the gas and the metapower serum."

Batman looked at her. Diana was smart; there was no question about that. But sometimes she lacked the cynical edge to see connections.

"They both are weapons against metapowers," he said simply.

"But the government?" Diana asked. She seemed too stunned to even finish the question.

"There is a lot of power here," Batman answered. "And no external oversight."

"But we help people," Diana responded.

"For now," Batman said darkly.

"Don't start on this again," Superman said, annoyed. "I really don't want to listen to it."

Batman looked silently at Superman for a moment, but said nothing.

"How long do we have until the stolen blood is turned into a serum?" Green Lantern asked. The conversation that Batman and Superman were headed towards had been heard by all the Founders on several other occasions and they had found the only way to stop it from starting was to bring the conversation back to the topic.

"It depends on what Weston told Luthor," Batman answered smoothly. "Anywhere from two weeks to six months."

-------------------------------

Kyle Weston rubbed his eyes and sighed. He had a week until his deadline and he was confident that he would make it, but he really just wanted to sleep for about three days.

He was sitting in front of a small group of mouse cages. One small cage contained a single mouse. Two other, larger cages each contained six. Weston was staring at the lone mouse. He had just given it an injection of the latest batch of serum. There are been no changes in the mouse but he knew it was early to see something.

_If you can get this mouse to fly, you can take the rest of the afternoon off_, he thought.

Ten minutes later, it did just that. The mouse floated into the air and circled the cage several times before landing. What impressed Weston was that the mouse neither panicked nor hit anything while flying. The mouse looked like it had been flying for years.

Weston smiled and updated his lab notebook. He made sure that all the mice had ample food and water and then locked up the laboratory for the afternoon.

Fifteen minutes after he left, the strain on the flying mouse's system caused it to have a heart attack. It died instantly and with no pain.

-------------------------------

Meeting dismissed, Batman prepared to return to Gotham. He was on his way to the mailroom when Question approached him.

"Yes?" he asked, impatiently.

"Cadmus," Question said.

Batman stared at him for another moment in silence.

"The piece of the puzzle you are missing is called 'Cadmus,'" Question said and walked on.

Batman said nothing and continued to the mailroom. He recalled the reason why he spent such little time at the Watchtower – the League members.

There was a small white box waiting for him in his mailbox. He picked it up and immediately placed its generic label and look. He put it under his arm and continued on to the teleporter.

When, upon his return to the Batcave, he opened the package, he found the bit of hair. The tests he ran on it confirmed what he suspected – it was the hair that Trickster had cut from Diana's head. The note read "If you continue to pursue Kasnian research, we will have to take something more permanent."

If he was right – and although he hadn't proven anything, he was confident he was – it wasn't his looking into the Kasnian research that was bothering this group. It was that it was the clearest path back to them.

Hoping that his relationship with Wonder Woman would protect them from him was the stupidest thing they could have done.

_You will not hurt her_, he told his invisible foe and got to work.

Four hours later, Alfred Pennyworth entered the cave with some refreshments. He left the tray on a side table designed for that purpose and returned to the Manor without a word. He had seen that expression on Master Bruce before and it did not bode well for the object of his hunt.


	8. Spreading the Fear

Chapter 7: Spreading the Fear

Batman watched Diana execute the training program from a darkened corner of the training room. J'onn and Superman, the only other Founders who were not involved in a mission, were standing some distance away. This was a necessary, but tedious, event, Batman thought. Diana would run through the training program and the three of them would decide if she could be cleared for mission duty. Founders reviewed other Founders because, as Flash pointed out, was Fire ever really going to tell Wonder Woman that she wasn't up to a mission?

This was the only administrative task that Batman didn't think was a complete waste of his time (which didn't mean it wasn't tedious). A lot of lives rested on making sure that no League member went back on duty until absolutely back to normal. So, he tried as much as possible to be one of the three-member committee to take part in the process. He found when he was on a committee to review a newer member of the League, that member would often wait and heal more rather than risk being called "incapable" by Batman.

Diana had insisted on a review as soon as J'onn's prescribed "two days of rest" were over. In fact, Batman thought with a hint of amusement, she started the training program two days and 30 minutes after her injury. She was doing very well though – there seemed to be no lingering effects of the blood loss as she kicked, punched and blocked her way through endless hologram villains.

Once the program was complete, Diana stood there, with a haughty expression on her face while the three men discussed her status. After only a minute, the three turned to face Diana.

"You are, effective immediately, back on mission duty," Superman said with a smile.

Diana nodded, her expression unchanged. She had not expected anything else.

"Then let's get to work," she said and headed for the door.

Knowing her as well as did, Batman had anticipated the abrupt departure and was able to fall in line beside her as she left the training room. Superman and J'onn were quickly left behind – although Batman knew that they were still well within the range of Superman's hearing, should the Man of Steel decide to listen.

"A moment of your time, Princess," he said.

"Of course, what do you need?" she asked with all seriousness, but an affectionate glint in her eyes.

"I have a job tonight and I would like to discuss the outcome with you this evening. Perhaps at nine? At the Manor?"

Diana arched a questioning eyebrow at him. "The Manor?"

"I have some updates for you as well," he said mysteriously.

"All right then. Just kindly remind Alfred that strawberries are in season," she said.

Batman nodded and increased his pace. Before he fell out of earshot, he said, without turning around, "it will take me a while to update you on everything. It has been nearly three days."

Diana didn't need to see the smirk on his face to know it was there.

-------------------------------

After returning to his lab to a dead mouse, Weston had vowed not to leave for more than 30 minutes until he got a serum that worked. He had gone as far to move a cot into the laboratory. The rational part of him knew that had he been asleep in the lab rather than in the rooms upstairs, he would not have heard the mouse die, but the louder part of him was determined to not have a repeat of the episode.

He returned from a twenty-minute run to the nearby deli to get some dinner and instantly checked his mice. They were all fine. However, the three that had gotten some serum before he left did not show any sign of a change. He sat down in the stool that was in front of the cages and opened the waxed paper and took a big bite of his roast beef sandwich. He was chewing and reaching into the brown paper bag for both his drink and chips when he heard a _whoosh_ on the other side of the table.

He ignored it.

"Smells good," a voice said, darkly.

Weston froze and when he looked towards the voice, he wished he wasn't frozen because he wanted to run away as quickly as possible.

_Batman found me._

Which explained how "smells good," could sound like a threat.

Why a man dressed like a bat could be so terrifying, Weston really couldn't explain. What he did know is that not only could he not move (or chew), he couldn't speak.

"You need a new research project," Batman said.

Weston finally managed to swallow the bite of sandwich.

"I can't."

Even through the mask, Weston saw the look of disbelief and disgust.

"You can."

"They'll find me."

"They won't," Batman said.

"What? Can you hide me?"

"Perhaps," Batman said.

"What does that mean?" Weston said, the mix of hope and terror that had taken over his mind was echoed in his voice.

"It means I have some questions," Batman said. "And I want you to answer them."

-------------------------------

When Batman left ten minutes later, Weston found he had lost interest in his sandwich. Twenty minutes after that, Weston finally recovered enough from the encounter to think to check his supply of blood and serum.

One vial of the blood and one vial of serum were missing. Everything else was left intact.

More confused than relieved, Weston finally found his appetite had returned. Upon finishing his sandwich, he realized that he had not come to an agreement with Batman.

_Which means he is going to be watching,_ Weston thought with a shudder.

-------------------------------

Diana, taking no risks that a photographer was still following them, teleported into the Batcave a few minutes before nine. She didn't fully understand the need for a secret identity but she did understand that those who had them were very protective. By teleporting into the Batcave, Diana could be certain that she would enter unseen. She also knew that to teleport into the Batcave from the Watchtower, you had to know both the coordinates and three passwords.

When she materialized in the Batcave, Alfred was waiting for her.

"Good evening, Princess Diana," he said formally.

She smiled at him. "Good evening, Alfred. How are you?"

"All the better for seeing you in good health, if I may say," he said.

Her smile got larger. Clearly her efforts to convince him to be less formal with her had worked a little. As a princess, she was accustomed to people treating her with a certain amount of respect, but she also was aware that now that she was in Man's World, she needed friends more than she needed people waiting on her.

Diana motioned to the Batmobile. "Bruce is back from his mission then. Any idea of how it went?"

"No, ma'am. However, he spent most of the evening in the lab."

"So, a success then," Diana noted.

"Master Bruce asked me to meet you," said Alfred as he began to direct her to the elevator and the entrance to the Manor. Although Diana certainly was close to Bruce, she wasn't family and therefore, he had said all he was going to about Master Bruce's work. "He wanted to freshen up before your arrival."

"Oh, I don't mind waiting at all," she said, following Alfred obediently.

"And I am to tell you that we have strawberries," Alfred said.

"Alfred, thank you," Diana said sincerely. Even if she didn't find out what Bruce had discovered that kept him in the lab, at least there would be strawberries.

-------------------------------

Bruce jogged down the stairs to the study, where Alfred would have taken Diana to wait. Dressed in his signature black pants and dark grey shirt, he stopped a few stairs from the bottom when he saw Alfred and Diana emerge from hidden elevator from the Batcave.

Diana stepped off and smiled at him. Bruce felt a sudden surge of lust, which continually surprised him. Yes, she was beautiful. And, yes, dressed in a simple white dress and gold, Grecian-inspired sandals, the ease of her movement made her even more desirable. However, he had never been in a relationship that had lasted as long as theirs had and still felt such a physical craving each time he saw her.

"Welcome, Princess," he said and casually trotted down the last several stairs. He kissed her gently and turned to Alfred. "Thank you, Alfred, for welcoming her."

"A pleasure, Master Bruce. The study is ready for you."

"Excellent, thank you, Alfred."

Alfred nodded and left the couple alone.

Diana wrapped her arm around Bruce's waist. "I missed evenings at the Manor," she said leaning into him a bit.

He slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her in a little closer as they walked into the study. "I did too. More than I realized when I saw you standing there." He realized as he said it just how much he meant it. Somehow, her being in the house gave it a more cheerful air and the Manor desperately needed it.

They walked into the study – which was one of Bruce's favorite rooms. It was very masculine – wood paneling, leather chairs and a large wooden desk but the Wayne book collection was primarily housed in that room. As a child, Bruce would spend hours reading in one of the chairs while his father worked. Usually thoughts of his parents gave him a dull ache, but that memory never did.

Alfred had left a tray with two parfait glasses filled with sliced strawberries on a small end table he had moved between two of the leather chairs. There also was a bottle of champagne and two chilled glasses. Bruce smiled a bit at the sight.

"Champagne and compliments?" Diana asked, in a teasing tone. "How many secrets are you planning on keeping from me tonight, Bruce?"

"I don't keep secrets," Bruce replied with mock indignation. But this was not the tone he wanted for the evening.

"No, of course not," Diana responded, giving his chest a playful swat before removing her arm and going to one of the chairs. "You are an open book."

"Ask anyone, they'll tell you," he said, enjoying the teasing, even if it was at his expense, while he opened the bottle of champagne. Pouring them each a glass, he sat down, holding his glass.

"Oh, they'll tell me something, all right," Diana quipped. Bruce looked at her for a moment.

"Good of you to wait until I had a glass in my hand, Princess," he said. "Otherwise, the consequences of that remark would have been terrible."

Diana laughed. Bruce loved the sound and he relished it for a moment. Then, suddenly, she turned temptress.

"And what exactly would those consequences be?" she asked seductively.

It was Bruce's turn to laugh. She was quite tempting, but her skills were not quite as sharp as she liked to think, which suited him just fine. "I have no idea. But hold that thought. We really do need to talk about what's going on."

Diana nodded and relaxed back in her chair, all teasing gone. She put down the champagne and picked up one of the glasses of strawberries. "You are right, of course. Let's start with the obvious. How did you find the photographer?"

Bruce knew she was going to ask him about that first but still wished she hadn't. He wasn't sure what he could have done for Bortz, but he also couldn't shake the feeling that he was responsible for the man's death.

"He was murdered. I visited his residence when I read that a variety of photographs had been burned. Based on his style, he was the guy."

Diana's shoulders sagged as a sense of loss swept over her. "Oh no. That is awful. So, you think it was the people who hired him?"

"It stands to reason," Bruce answered.

"Who hired him?" she asked, clearly ready for action. She didn't like what the photographer had done, but she liked someone murdering him even less.

"I'm working on that. I need to find what he discovered that cost him his life. Knowing about our relationship couldn't have been it, unless that wasn't why he was hired. Based on the threats, I think it was."

"We need to find out. What they did was unacceptable."

"I agree."

"So, was that the job you did this evening?" she asked.

"No. I visited the scientist who is working on your blood," Bruce said and waited. The warrior in Diana was going to have a few choice words about that development.

"Is working?" she said. "Don't you mean, 'was working'?"

"No."

"And why not?"

"Because we don't know enough about the plan to shut him down." It was the truth and Bruce stood by it.

"When would you know enough, Bruce?" Diana's calm voice was beginning to leak her fury but she just managed to keep it under control. "When you crawled into that man's brain and figured out his motivation? Or when you knew the names of everyone who wanted to benefit from whatever potion he is making from my blood? When the financial backers of his financial backers' backers were exposed? When exactly would it be enough? When can we just go in and stop this madness?"

Bruce glared at her and allowed the silence to linger for a moment. Then, in a voice darker and deeper than he intended, he answered her.

"When I can ensure that he and no one who is supporting him will ever try this again," he said coldly. "And when I can ensure that when we 'stop this madness' another group doesn't try the same thing with the same research. In other words, Princess, I know enough when I know enough to totally _shut this down_."

They glared at each other for a moment, both absolutely convinced that the other was missing the bigger picture. Diana's planning and strategy abilities were well-developed and insightful but she was a trained warrior who, once the enemy was identified and located, went in and destroyed everything. Bruce knew the best way to stop a project permanently was to stop the flow of money and then destroy the data trail.

"This goes to the group for discussion," Diana said, evenly but the anger was clear. "Tomorrow."

"Fine," Bruce replied. "I have a conference call in the morning. I'll come to the Watchtower afterwards."

Diana stood up, clearly planning on leaving.

"Diana," Bruce said gently, but realized he didn't know what to say.

"Bruce," Diana responded, "I understand this is just one of those areas where we are never going to agree which is why we need the other League Founders to join this conversation. I'm all right with that. But I want to leave this room for the rest of the evening."

"Where do you want to go?" Bruce was glad she didn't want to leave the Manor, but this request was one he wasn't sure how to handle.

"Not where you'd hope, I'm sure." She picked up her strawberries and champagne glass. "Let's go to the dining room. You can try to be charming and perhaps, I will wait for you while you are on patrol."

Bruce picked up his glasses and, preparing to follow her, he grinned a little. "As you wish, Princess."


	9. Game Plan

Chapter 8: Game Plan

Amanda Waller hated that she found herself back in Lex Luthor's office seeking his advice. However, with several ideas floating around her head looking for some sort of connection, she realized she needed someone to talk to and Luthor was the best person she could think of.

She summed up the story as quickly as she could – naturally omitting her involvement in Bortz's death and the discovery of Batman's secret identity – and got to the problem.

"He loves her," Waller concluded. "He is still trying to figure out who we are and what we are doing, going through Kasnia to get there, but I think he is telling her what is going on as well. It never occurred to me that he would do that and I thought that I could distract him long enough to cover our tracks a bit more. I really thought he would try to protect her without her knowing which would put a distracting damper on the relationship."

"So what does he know about us?" Luthor asked, leaning over his desk. The relationship was an interesting development to be sure, but he was going to have to consider all the angles for a while.

"Nothing definite," she responded, confidentially. "But I am not sure I would be willing to say that three days from now."

"Three days? That may just work out for us," Luthor said. "Weston has promised me a working serum tomorrow. That gives us time to develop the distraction we need."

Waller looked at him for a moment. "Well, I don't know that we ought to count on Weston for come through on that deadline."

Luthor smiled. It was a wicked smile. "I think we can. But in an event, let's say that Central City will have a major distraction in three days. And then, we kill two birds with one stone. Well, three actually."

Waller looked at him for a moment. That required clarification. "Three?"

"We test Weston's work," he said holding up one finger, "and we take out two League members using the weaker one to take out the stronger one." He held up two more fingers.

"How?"

Luthor smiled. "That's the beauty of it."

And he proceeded to tell her.

-------------------------------

Flash was early to the meeting, which alerted Diana that something was going on. Bringing her an iced mocha, on the other hand, clinched it.

"What?" she asked him directly.

"I wanted to be alone with you. You've got to be used to men wanting to be alone with you by now," he said with a grin.

"I would have believed that if it was just the iced mocha. But you are five minutes early to a meeting. This means you wanted to have another meeting with me."

Flash beamed at her. "Ah, brains and beauty. Princess, why won't you run away and marry me?"

Diana laughed. "It would serve you right if I did. It would teach you an excellent lesson."

"You wound me," Flash said in a tone that suggested he was anything but, and then grew serious again.

"Just ask me, Flash. You just proposed marriage so I promise not to hurt you," Diana said gently.

Flash smiled again but it was short-lived. "There is a lot of chatter in Central City about how things are going to change. I think that means they must be close to getting whatever it was that gave Sally her powers. So, I am asking you this because, well, it would help me. Do you have a weakness? Like kryptonite or something?"

On one level, Diana did understand why Flash asked. It would have given him the advantage should the serum be successfully distributed and he may well find himself in need of any and all advantages he could get. However, it was such a personal question from a man who hadn't wanted to share his secret identity even when their lives were on the line that she felt it was a violation of some understood code of conduct.

The look that Diana gave him prompted Flash to say "Hey! You promised not to hurt me!"

It was at that moment, Batman walked into the conference room.

"Princess, never make a promise like that," he said simply and took his normal chair.

"It was a valid question!" Flash said louder and shriller than he meant to.

"The short answer is no," Diana answered. "There is a weakness in my armor but that won't help you."

Batman arched an eyebrow at them both. Diana turned to Flash. She wasn't angry, but her expression was a bit hurt.

"Flash, I would not have let you go into battle with people with my powers alone and without all the information that you could use to help you. You should trust me."

"Trusting that all the available information has been provided has gotten many killed, Princess," Batman bit back, surprising the other two that he was taking Flash's side.

Diana turned to face him with an expression like ice. "You weren't exactly on my good side even before you said that." The spark in her eye told him another story however.

"A tragedy worthy of the Greeks," Batman said dryly.

Diana smiled, but Flash started to tremble with laughter and snorted, which gave Diana a case of the giggles, although she had no idea what was so funny. So, when Green Lantern, Superman and J'onn entered the conference room, it was clear that Diana and Flash were laughing at something Batman had said.

Superman took the scene in and turned to J'onn. "Check to make sure that is the real Batman, would you?" he said with a smirk.

Batman glared at both Superman and J'onn. "I wasn't funny."

Composed again, Diana smiled. "No, he really wasn't. He just defused an awkward moment."

Flash was having a harder time composing himself. "I…can…see….it," he gasped between laughs. "The….Wrath….of….Wonder..Woman…We…just….need….to…get...Batman to scream 'Diana' at some point."

Green Lantern smiled at his friend. "All right, Flash, I think you have lost it."

It took Flash a few minutes to get himself together, mostly because he kept trying out his best James T. Kirk-like "Diana!" scream. Diana, who did not get the reference, was confused. All of them were ready to get the meeting under way.

Once Flash regained his composure, Superman looked at Diana. "You called this meeting."

Diana looked at each member as she spoke. "Batman has found the person who is working on my blood. He wants to wait to move until we have found the 'bigger fish,' I believe is the expression. I would like to move on the information we have. Since both strategies have their pros and cons, we have decided to bring it to the group for a decision."

"We?" Batman asked darkly. Diana glared at him. Superman smiled.

Green Lantern spoke, a puzzled expression on his face. "We know the guy doing the work. We know who the lead candidates are for the first injections and we know that Luthor is bankrolling the process. What else are we hoping to learn?"

"How Luthor and Weston met," Batman replied. "Someone serves as a common element between the two. That person was behind the Kasnia research and, I think that person was in charge the first time we dealt with stolen Amazon powers."

Superman looked at the Dark Knight. "You think this project will come back if we don't stop it at the source?"

Bruce nodded. If the Man of Steel agreed with him, it would be a short and easy meeting.

"How long do you need?"

"That is an interesting question," Batman answered. "Weston's deadline is tomorrow but he will not have a reliable, long-lasting serum to deliver."

"I thought you hadn't destroyed the lab" Lantern said.

"I didn't. But I can tell you that what Weston is trying to do can't be done, permanently."

All the other members gave Batman a look that made it clear they needed a bit of clarification. He was tempting to not give it to them until Diana's fist landed solidly on the table.

"You took some, didn't you?" she demanded, the hurt and rage in her voice were struggling for control. "When you visited his lab. To see if you could make your own."

Batman looked at her impassively.

"How else was I going to neutralize it?" he asked.

"You _neutralize_ it by walking in there and destroying all the samples," she retorted.

"That assumes that all the samples are housed there," he replied.

Diana stared at him for a moment, wanting to punch him in jaw for presenting her with such flawless logic. She didn't need to look at the other members of the League to know that she had just lost and they would side with Batman on the plan.

"Touché," Flash said in a stage whisper.

"Can you," Superman asked Batman, "neutralize it then?"

Batman slowly turned his head until he was facing Superman. It was the question he wanted someone to ask.

"Yes. I have created what is basically a blocker. Given either before or after receiving the serum, it blocks any powers. The serum does wear off on its own in about five hours."

"A lot of damage can be done in five hours," Green Lantern said.

"What happens after the five hours?" Flash asked.

That was the question Batman had hoped no one would ask.

"I had to come here before I could finish the modeling. Early simulations are divided on the outcome. Most models suggested a sudden, but not fatal, drop in blood pressure. One model suggested the opposite – a fatal and sudden rise in blood pressure. I need to run more simulations."

"How does the blocker change the equation?"

"The blocker keeps them from getting Wonder Woman's powers and so they do not have any side effects when they disappear."

Diana looked at Bruce. Something didn't make sense.

"Let's assume that they get the serum and then don't call attention to themselves until after the powers start to kick in. If they don't get the blocker until then, aren't they still going to have side effects?"

Batman looked at her, appreciatively. She was smart and she put things together quickly. After all the disagreeing they had been doing recently, a gentle reminder as to why their relationship was worth the risks was something of a blessing.

"There is a bell curve of power," Batman explained. "After 150 minutes, the serum and therefore the powers, reach full potency. If they take the blocker before then, it tears their system less. So, if the model with the fatal outcome is correct, we have some time to prevent it."

"In theory," Diana added.

"It is all theory until someone actually gets the serum," he responded fiercely.

Superman shifted in his chair a little, trying to regain control over the meeting.

"Then we wait no more than three days," he said "By then, if we don't see evidence of the serum being used, we take down the lab. All right?"

The other members made noises of agreement and Superman dismissed the meeting. Batman took a deep breath and did what he knew he had to.

"Flash and Diana, stay here."

They looked at each other but stayed in their seats. Once the rest of the Founders left, Batman looked at them.

"We need a plan," he said simply. "Flash, you are best suited to know when things change in Central City. I want to know when it does."

Flash pouted a little. "I was going to follow the rules and call it in to J'onn."

"No, you call it in _to me_," Batman said sternly.

Flash looked at him. Even in the mask, it was clear he had paled a bit. "Okay."

Diana looked at Batman. "What planning do we need until we know what is going on and where it is happening?"

Batman looked at her for a moment. He was not in the mood to deal with a grumpy Amazon.

"You're right. You can go. Flash and I need to discuss likely targets and develop a strategy for them, but he can inform you en route when something happens."

She glared at them both for a moment. Her temper had gotten the best of her and she hadn't been thinking clearly, but rather than admit it she nodded at them both and walked out the room.

Batman repressed a grin as she walked out, although he knew that he had hurt her pride and Amazonian pride did not heal quickly or easily.

-------------------------------

Author's Note: I know that with such a delay, the chapter should be better – but ah well! I am sorry to all those I may have offended by suggesting that Flash was a Star Trek fan. However, I do suspect he is. I promise there will be some more action in the next chapter.


	10. And So It Begins

Chapter 9: And So It Begins

Kyle Weston heard the door to his lab swing open but he did not look up from his microscope. He knew what day it was and therefore, he felt he had a pretty good guess as to the identity of the person entering and why.

"Dr. Weston, I believe you have something for me," said Lex Luthor in a deceptively calm voice.

Weston turned around slowly.

_If he is going to kill me, at least he'll do it quickly._

"Yes and no," Weston answered. "I have a serum that gives the recipient about five hours worth of power. I can't seem to generate a full-time serum."

"What happens after five hours?" Luthor asked.

"The recipient goes into cardiac arrest and dies," Weston answered honestly.

Luthor looked at Weston carefully, clearly looking for signs of deceit. However, Luthor had to admit, Weston looked like he had not slept or eaten in a very long time. And the mouse cages were all empty. There was no doubt that Weston was scared.

"All right," Luthor said. "We will use what you have at the moment. At the end of the week, I want you in my office with your updated notes. We will see if there is another project for you."

"But, I want to…." Weston began.

Luthor cut him off. "I don't care what you want. If I review your notes and see there is a sign that this project could lead to a permanent serum, you will head the team to develop it. Otherwise, the project is scrapped. Now, I need the serum."

A mix of pride, fear and anger kept Weston from responding as Luthor handed him a small leather case designed to hold vials. Weston's survival instinct took over and quelled the internal conflict. He filled the case and obediently handed it back to Luthor.

"Now, I need to find our Central City friends," Luthor said darkly.

"But," was all Weston could manage before Luthor cut him off violently.

-------------------------------

Bruce Wayne's cell phone rang. Bruce, who was alone in his office at Wayne Enterprises pulled it out of his pocket and when he saw the number, frowned slightly.

"Hello. Bruce Wayne speaking."

"Mr. Wayne? This is Clark Kent at The Daily Planet."

"Clark? Daily Planet? All right then, hello."

_Okay, Boy Scout, what's going on,_ he thought darkly.

"I was wondering if you have a moment for a couple of questions."

"Probably," Bruce responded lightly. "But I have to know. Where did you get this number?"

Clark paused. Bruce imagined he was adjusting his glasses. "Ah, I probably shouldn't divulge my source."

"That says it all. Give Lois Lane a swat on the wrist from me. She shouldn't have it to distribute. The Daily Planet is a fine publication, but you need to go through the public relations department like everyone else."

The hint was there. _Why call on an unsecured cell phone when we both have communicators?_

"Ah, well," Clark began, stumbling verbally.

"Doesn't matter. I am sure you have your reasons," Bruce said quickly. "What do you need?"

"I wanted to talk to you about a biochemist named Kyle Weston."

"Name doesn't ring a bell. He doesn't work for me, does he?" The tone was perfectly vague and bored. However, his mind began whirling.

"I thought he did. I may have bad information. Then you didn't know, sir, that his body was found in the Metropolis River about three hours ago? I am doing a story on his murder."

It was at that moment that Bruce knew the reason behind the call. Clark needed the information he knew as a League member to somehow get on the record. Bruce decided to play along.

"No. That is awful. How terrible. Does he have a family? Hold on, I want to make sure he didn't work for me," Bruce said with sympathy in his voice and rage in his heart. Taking his feet off the desk and turning to his computer, Bruce hit the space bar on the keyboard to activate the screen. A few clicks for show and he accessed the information he "needed."

"Let's see," Bruce said, wondering momentarily why he was making such a show of the search when his office was empty. "Ah no. He didn't work here. Oh, but we did try to recruit him from his university in California. I'll bet there is a wire photo of the two of us at a fundraiser at the school or something."

"That must be it. I apologize for wasting your time. So, you don't know anything about where he was working?"

"Oh, let's see. Clark, you know, I hate to give a rumor to a journalist of such a high caliber as yourself, but I have a little notation here that he went to work for Lex Luthor. Not sure how good the tip is, but I am sure you could quickly run it down. Some form of a chat with Luthor might not be uncalled for."

Bruce packed the last sentence with as many hints as he could while keeping the tone light and airy. Clark paused, clearly taking it all in.

"Thank you, Mr. Wayne. I will follow-up."

Only Bruce would have heard the anger in Clark's voice. Bruce understood. Fair or not, true or not, Clark felt that Luthor was his responsibility. There was a lot of that going around recently. Flash felt responsible for the Central City villains, Diana felt responsible for what her DNA might do to people and now Kent felt responsible for Luthor.

_And you feel responsible for everything_, said his inner voice in a teasing tone.

Both Bruce and Clark pleasantly said good-bye to one another and hung up the phone. As soon as the phone returned to its cradle, Bruce looked up to make sure his office door was closed before he indulged in a long string of swear words in reaction to the newest development.

-------------------------------

Three hours later, Batman's communicator beeped. Fortunately, he had left Wayne Enterprises and was just pulling into the Manor's garage.

"Batman here," he said quickly.

"Bats, Mirror Master just flew past me. He is only a few feet off the ground, but yeah, flying," Flash said.

"You know what to do. I will be there in a few minutes. Leave your communicator on, it'll be easier to track you."

"Are you going to call Wonder Woman?"

"Yes. You ought to be too busy to do that," he said in a mildly threatening voice as he got out of the car and quickly made his way to the Batcave. He waved Alfred a quick hello on his way. Alfred, who was quite used to such behavior, simply nodded and went back to the study.

He didn't call Wonder Woman until he was in the Batsuit and ready to transport to the Watchtower for Flash's location. It seemed indirect, but it was the fastest way to travel to Central City.

"Diana," he said after activating his communicator.

"Diana here," responded a sleepy voice. Batman felt a twinge of regret. She had been sent off-planet for a mission almost immediately following the meeting of the Founders. If the reports he had heard were correct, she had only been back a few hours. And if jet lag when traveling on Earth was bad, that was nothing to traveling between planets.

"Rise and shine, Princess," he said sternly. "We have fliers in Central City. We leave by transport in five minutes."

There was a small groan and a second of silence.

"Ten minutes," she said, more an order than a request.

"Five. Flash needs backup."

There was a sigh and Batman heard some movement that suggested she was sitting up.

"Five," she repeated, her tone serious. "But if Flash isn't in life-threatening peril, you will be."

Batman smirked.

-------------------------------

They transported in a few blocks from where Flash was. It was safer that way. At the speed Flash could move, coming in too close could mean getting in his path and no one was sure what would happen then.

Diana had smiled at the Dark Knight when they met in the transporter room but her eyes were clearly tired and they did not bother to exchange words. But it was a comfortable silence. After this was all over, he knew they would need some time together just as a couple, but it would, and more importantly, could wait.

When he had Diana stand back-to-back, she nodded and understood the reasoning instantly. Batman hated transporting. He wasn't afraid of it – he understood the science perfectly. What he didn't like was being dropped into the middle of a location without knowing exactly what the situation was. Some lucky idiot with a gun could not only end a mission, but a Justice League member's life, simply by being at the right place at the right time.

It was quiet. They were standing in an empty alley, lined with trash dumpsters on each side.

Diana hit her communicator. "Flash, we are here," she started to look around for a street sign. "In an alley north of 15th street. Where are you?"

"Right here, gorgeous," Flash said as he came to a halt in front of them. He handed a small package to Batman, who tucked it into his belt.

"There are just the three of them," Flash reported. "All of them have the blocker in them, but here's the weird thing. They can all fly, but only Captain Cold seems to have Wondy strength. Mirror Master has super speed and I haven't figured out what Trickster has."

Batman grimaced. "I was afraid there might be a mutation."

Flash glared at him. "Okay, seriously, I was in all the meetings and actually paying attention _the whole time_. Why didn't you _say something_ about that?"

Batman just looked coldly at the Speeder.

"How fast is Mirror Master?" Diana asked.

Good mood returned, Flash winked. "Superman fast. So, nothing I can't handle."

"So, where are they?" Batman demanded.

"Give them a moment. They ought to pass this alley in just a few minutes. After I gave them the booster, they started chasing me. I was hoping to get them to the park where they wouldn't cause much trouble, but I had to double-back when Jeweler's Row distracted them. That's when you called me."

"They are robbing stores?" Diana was incredulous. "While we are just talking here?"

"No, those places were too small for them even before they had metapowers," Flash answered casually. "But I would like to get them to the park at least until their powers fade. We will have to keep them out of the museums, but I think we can do that."

Batman and Diana nodded in agreement. Diana stared into the distance, willing the Central City men to appear. She was anxious for a fight. She was tired of waiting for something to happen. _It wasn't her way._ Finally, she heard the sound of air moving at the end of the ally and she crouched a bit, ready to spring.

The colorful costumes came into view, briefly.

And with that, they engaged the enemy.

-------------------------------

Years ago, as part of a good will gesture to Superman – and an acknowledgement that glass falling from broken windows several stories in the air was dangerous – the Metropolis City Council had created a law that any new building or renovation in the city must include windows that could easily open from both the inside and outside. It hadn't stopped Superman from smashing through a window when an emergency arose, but he did make an effort to open the windows when he was able.

This was one of those times.

So, when Lex Luthor returned to his penthouse office from a meeting, the wind had blown the papers on his desk all over the room and Superman was hovering outside the window with his hands crossed over his chest in what Luthor usually thought of as the "I dare you to ignore me" pose.

He was tempted but did not. He knew from past experience that it was simply easier to get the conversation over with.

"Superman," Luthor said warmly. "What brings you to my window this afternoon? I trust everything is all right?"

"Luthor, did you dump Kyle Weston's body into a river?" Superman asked.

Luthor pretended to be taken aback. "That's direct. Even for you."

Superman shrugged but the expression on his face remained serious. "I know you admire straightforwardness. In others."

Luthor smiled faintly as he acknowledged the different levels of that remark.

"What I know about Kyle Weston is that he got himself involved with several groups of people promising them all the same product. He was unsuccessful in developing the product he promised. I am sure that one of those groups took the failure more personally than a businessman like I would. So, did I 'dump Kyle Weston's body into a river?' No."

Luthor paused for a moment before adding, "Not really my style, you know."

"No, I suppose not," Superman acknowledged. "But you were working with him."

"If you didn't know that already, you wouldn't be here," Luthor responded quickly.

"And since I know about the project, why don't we discuss that?" Superman said, with some spite.

"Superman, everyone without metapowers wants them. It isn't novel at all. Weston thought he could provide some. That is an investment worth my time. However, he couldn't. And more over, he wasn't willing to just give people metapowers, he wanted to destroy the ones he took the powers from. I just am grateful that your medical team is knowledgeable enough to find the virus he put into Wonder Woman's blood and remove it before it permanently crippled her," Luthor said and waited.

Only someone who knew Superman as long as Luthor had would have caught the eye widening. No, Superman didn't know anything about a virus being removed from Wonder Woman and he should have. However, the Man of Steel recovered immediately.

"Yes, our medical team is one of the best. But let's talk about these other groups that Weston was trying to sell to."

"Oh, Superman, I know nothing about them. Follow the money is my advice. It isn't dramatic but it usually works."

Superman looked at Luthor as if trying to read his mind. Luthor accepted the direct stare and returned it with a bored look.

"Don't let me find out you've lied to me, Luthor," Superman said and flew off.

Luthor waited a moment and then closed the window. Once the window clicked, he heard the door open to the conference room directly off his office. He didn't need to turn around to know who was there.

"Got 'em," he said before turning around.

When he did, Amanda Waller tipped an invisible hat at him and left the office.

-------------------------------

Flash, Batman and Wonder Woman were all occupied when Superman's call came over the communicator line. Flash was chasing Mirror Master through the gem exhibit in the Park Museum. Outside, in the park, Wonder Woman had engaged Captain Cold and was attempting to dodge both ice bursts and trees. On the museum roof, Batman was trying to establish what Trickster's other powers might be. The Dark Knight was beginning to believe that Trickster didn't know either.

"Wonder Woman, you need to come back to the Watchtower, now," Superman's voice said. Batman was not surprised when she didn't respond. Between the sound of flying objects and the roar of battle in her ears, he didn't think she would have heard. So, he answered for her.

He soundly punched Trickster to buy enough to activate his communicator. "Now is not a good time," he said.

"Weston injected her with something when he took her blood. Some virus."

Wonder Woman's voice came through. "That's absurd. J'onn would have found it."

"J'onn wasn't looking for it," Superman said frantically. "Luthor had a business associate hiding in his office when he told me. We need to treat this as real."

Diana caught the iced down tree Captain Cold had thrown at her and was flying with it back towards Captain Cold with every intention of using it to pin him down. She wished Superman was there in person, she didn't have time for what was a ridiculous argument. She pushed Captain Cold into the museum wall and held him there with the tree. He was pushing and she knew that it was only a matter of time before he thought to punch the tree and shatter it.

"J'onn looks for everything," she said. "Let me finish this and then I will come back."

Muffled, on the line, she heard a thud; a scream and then the low, cold voice of Batman ask Trickster "what do you know about a virus?"

_Oh Hera_, she thought. She grabbed the tree and used it as a club on Captain Cold. Once he hit the ground, she flew towards Batman.

She didn't need to see his face to know that something inside the Dark Knight had snapped.


	11. Moving Off Target

Chapter 10: Moving Off Target

Another scream. Male.

_But not an answer to the question. Just answer the question._

A new voice. Female. Calling him.

_But not an answer to the question. _

He needed an answer to the question.

And then, vengeance.

It was time.

Too many threats. Too many dangers. Too much pain. Too much rage.

And fear. The lingering, omnipresent fear.

_Just answer the question._

-------------------------------

Trickster was struggling for all he was worth against Batman, who was holding him by his throat, several inches in the air and against a brick wall. He had stopped screaming but was repeating "virus? There isn't a virus!" in a high-pitched voice.

Diana, who was now standing behind Batman, was unsure of what to do. On one hand, she really did think that Batman was losing control. On the other hand, if Trickster was still able to protest, then he was still able to breathe.

J'onn's voice finally came over the communicator. "The probability of a virus is low. Luthor is trying to distract you. Poorly. Which is unlike him. Beware of a trap."

Although Batman had not loosened his grip, Trickster stopped shrieking and was perfectly still with a strange little smile on his lips. Slowly, Trickster removed his hands from Batman's arm and blasted both Wonder Woman and Batman with energy beams that admitted from the palms of his hands.

As the force knocked them backwards and off the side of the roof, Diana found herself thinking: _How did he manage to keep a hold of Trickster?_

-------------------------------

Without hesitation and without thought, the Batarang was out and thrown. In less time than it took for Wonder Woman to regain control and fly out of her fall, Batman had returned to the roof top with Trickster in tow. Before Diana decided to visually check on Flash and flew in the direction of the museum, Trickster's hands were bound behind his back and the question was put to him again.

"What do you know about a virus?"

Trickster laughed.

_That was the wrong answer._

-------------------------------

Diana had never been in a position to watch a fist-fight at "Flash speed" before she walked into the museum and found Flash and Mirror Master darting around at top speed. It was fascinating to watch and, in fact, Diana found herself staring at the movement for several seconds before attempting to get involved.

It always amazed her how quickly a museum, or any large public place, could empty out and how weird they felt without any people in them.

Flash had steered the conflict into a fairly safe area of the museum – it was a history of military uniforms and although the two had managed to do some damage to the collection, it was not as great as it could be in other sections of the museum. She was always amazed at how Flash really could still be in control at the speed he was moving.

She activated her communicator. "Flash, Trickster had meta hearing and can shoot energy from his palms. I suspect that both Mirror Master and Captain Cold are holding….."

Before she could finish her sentence, Captain Cold materialized behind her and kicked her in the back. As she turned to engage Captain Cold, she heard Flash say, "ah, yeah, Mirror Master can pull a Black Canary." His tone gained a mocking edge. "He thought there could be a mutation. I am going to smack him!"

She didn't respond but she did feel a momentarily appreciation of the feeling as she and Captain Cold resumed their battle. At some point, Captain Cold had lost his freezing guns and was using his strength.

Diana started to do some math while trying to find a window. She wanted to get Captain Cold outside and decided that throwing him out of one would be the best way to accomplish that.

_The call came in an hour ago. If they were at full strength before they flew, they should lose their power in another hour and a half. _

She realized there were a lot of assumptions in that equation. She suspected that once they were able to fly, they started and there was no way to know how long after they were able to fly that Flash spotted them. And there was no way of knowing how long after they got the serum that they were able to fly. But it was an idea and that was what she was looking for.

Finally, out of the corner of her eye, she found a window. It was over the Natural Science exhibit of dioramas. The lifeless animals looked very real as they stared out from behind the glass as Diana flew into the center of the room. Captain Cold followed her.

It was a long, dark room. The only lights came from in front of and inside the dioramas. The small windows near the ceiling did not let in light and only added to the strange gloom of the room.

Captain Cold finally moved within grabbing distance, so Diana lunged for him. However, he disappeared and reappeared a few seconds later with his cold guns. He shot towards Wonder Woman, missing her by inches as she leapt into the air. There were several more sequences of this, until most of the glass in front of the dioramas were frozen. When she heard the crack of the glass, she hit the communicator.

"Flash, get out of here! Toxic gas release!"

She prayed to Hera that Flash would focus on getting both himself and Mirror Master out of the museum rather than trying to help her. She could take care of herself.

She knew she only had a few seconds before all the glass shattered and the toxic air in the dioramas were released. It was one of those things she learned when she started working with various museums. The reason why the dioramas were behind glass was that the air required to preserve the animals was highly toxic. With one smooth kick, she managed to get Captain Cold to drop his guns. She grabbed his jacket and dragged him into the air towards the window.

"This wasn't how I wanted to do this," she said as she rammed them both out the window as the sound of glass breaking below them nearly deafened them.

-------------------------------

Flash smiled. Mirror Master had almost been able to keep up as he sped out the main entrance of the museum. But it seemed to the Speedster that the other man had lost a bit of speed. He wondered briefly if using the powers caused them to fade away faster as they were used. Certainly Mirror Master had been enjoying his speed.

Flash stopped and turned around to make sure Wonder Woman emerged. He heard the shattering of a window and two figures fly out, one of whom was the Amazonian princess.

The relief was short-lived when he heard Mirror Master mutter, "I didn't get these powers to waste them."

And he turned back to the city and began to run at full speed.

Flash pursued. He would update the team once he knew where Mirror Master was going.

-------------------------------

The sound of shattered glass was about ten feet below where he knelt. He had heard the cry about the toxic gas but knew what the gas was. He was in no danger out in the open.

He stood slowly and watched as two figures flew into his range of vision. He watched as Wonder Woman neatly rammed Captain Cold into the wall, knocking him unconscious, and then lowered him on the rooftop.

She landed herself and then started to walk over towards him.

He didn't want to talk to her.

But she knew that and it wasn't going to stop her.

_So deal with her quickly,_ he ordered himself.

"Trickster thinks there is a virus. Engineered to show symptoms exactly sixteen days after they took you," he said.

_Four hours from now_, he thought but did not say.

_Assuming Weston did it right. _

Diana looked around. "Where is Trickster?"

Batman looked at her but did not answer. Diana stood still – using her hunter's training to try to find evidence of the missing man. She found the drag marks on the rooftop easily enough and followed them to a staircase access point. She opened the door and found Trickster lying unconscious inside. She noted, but did not comment on, the small trickle of blood drying in the corner of Trickster's mouth.

"When he wakes up, his powers will be gone," Batman said.

"Do you believe him?" she asked.

"He believes what he told me."

She sighed loudly. "All right. Well, then, give Captain Cold whatever you give Trickster and I'll go back to the Watchtower. You and Flash can more than handle Mirror Master."

Batman said nothing but drew a small syringe out of his belt and walked over to Captain Cold. He injected the man with a clear liquid. There was only a small moan from Captain Cold as he went deeper into unconscious.

Diana wanted to say more. But she needed to live up to her end of the bargain. She activated her communicator. "One to the Watchtower, please."

Seconds later, she was standing in the Watchtower. J'onn motioned to her to follow him. She was only one step off the platform when, over the communicator, she heard Flash's voice.

"Mirror Master is heading for the Central City Trust. I could use a hand getting the people safely out."

Diana activated her communicator. "I need to leave a blood sample with J'onn. I'll be down in a moment. Is Batman there?"

"Ah," Flash said, clearly not anticipating that question. "He said he needed to track something down. He's gone."

J'onn, now aware of the problem, seemed to pull the supplies he needed out of the air. Within seconds, he had the sample he needed and nodded to her.

"I'm on my way," she said. The rage of being tricked by Batman gave her face a hard edge.

-------------------------------

The Dark Knight had requested a point-to-point transport. Flash could handle Mirror Master and Diana was under J'onn's care.

_You will not hurt her._

-------------------------------

AN: I doubt this quick update will make up for the long delays. But I will get another chapter up soon!


	12. Lines in the Sand

Chapter 11: Lines in the Sand

Amanda Waller had, in her opinion, spent too much time recently trying to break into homes that had been sealed by local authorities for evidence gathering. However, she felt quite certain that with the Central City gang flying around and concerns over the health of Wonder Woman, this was the best time to go to Kyle Weston's house and remove anything that might link him to Cadmus without attracting any attention from the Justice League. She should have done it before, since Weston had been too terrified to return once he had joined Luthor and had basically moved into his lab, but she hadn't.

Live and learn.

The police had clearly been through the place looking for insight on who murdered him but any financial records they would have taken didn't bother her. There was no way that the police would be able to locate Cadmus through the direct deposit records at his bank. And however Luthor was paying him was Luthor's problem.

She spent several hours going through paperwork, calendars and other items for any reference to her or Cadmus. She found one date book from when he was first hired that had an appointment listed for "A. Waller – Starbucks on 8th" but that was it. It was easy enough to obscure the name. Satisfied that her tracks were covered, she left.

When she looked back on the event years later, after everything that would come to pass between her and the Justice League, she still would have sworn that she had been alone in Weston's residence the entire time.

She would be wrong.

She had never been alone.

-------------------------------

Flash, because of his long-time connection with Central City, quickly went to work emptying civilians out of the bank while Diana began to hunt Mirror Master. The people trusted him more and responded faster to him. Besides, Wonder Woman's rage had been so palpable from the moment she materialized that Flash had been more than happy to let her take it out on Mirror Master.

She slammed open the entrance to the bank in a style that called to mind both a gunslinger at a saloon and an avenging angel entering the gates of hell. The bank lobby was empty but she heard the sounds of looting a distance away and quickly covered the distance. She found Mirror Master using his sonic scream to shatter the vault door. He had managed to crack the door and Wonder Woman knew that a few more blasts would open it.

"Mirror Master," she shouted to get his attention. She didn't want to sneak up on him, although it would have been easy enough.

Without ending his scream, he turned towards her. The force of the blast pushed her back several feet, but she regained her footing and began walking towards him. The scream stopped abruptly when she punched him in the jaw. He flew several feet down the hallway but was becoming comfortable enough with flying that he quickly turned back towards her.

The fight began in midair. Diana felt her blood sing with excitement at the battle. Mirror Master was more efficient at hand-to-hand combat than Diana thought, which only energized her more.

The kicks and punches went on for several minutes with Diana clearly getting the upper hand. However, she noticed the Mirror Master was slowly losing altitude and she didn't think he was doing it on purpose. Realizing he was losing his powers, she delivered a knock-out kick when he was only a few feet off the floor.

Flash arrived in time to see Diana picking an unconscious Mirror Master off the bank floor. He noticed that while she didn't appear to have exerted herself too much during the fight, the edge was gone from her anger.

"Where do you want him?" she asked.

"Ah, where are the other two?" he asked.

"On the roof of the museum. Sleeping it all off."

Flash pursed his lips for a moment as if he was going to ask a follow-up question and then changed his mind.

"Why don't I take him to the police station, you get the other guys and bring them there and we can meet back at the Watchtower."

Diana transferred Mirror Master to Flash and went back to collect the other two.

But she knew what her next step was.

-------------------------------

Superman met Diana at the transporter pad when she materialized in the Watchtower. He smiled, but only slightly, when he saw her.

"Good work with the Central City group," he said lightly.

"Flash back then," she asked.

"Yup. Batman called in for coordinates. You want to fill me in on what happened? I haven't heard him like that in, well, a very long time."

"Like what?" Diana asked, curious as to her friend's take.

"Not sure how to put it. The mood always makes me think of that line about 'all hell followed with him.' Reminded me why we call him the 'Dark Knight.'"

"I really don't know," she answered, shaking her head. "Something about the virus seemed to set him off."

Superman looked at her as if he was seeing her for the first time. "This is because of _you_?"

She frowned. "No, I don't think so."

Superman looked at her, still considering. He was about to say something when J'onn's voice came over their communicators.

"The warehouse where Kyle Weston's lab was housed is on fire."

Wonder Woman and Superman both looked at each other, the same question on their mind: _who started the fire?_

Superman headed towards the transporter. "I'll go down there and see what is going on. You check in with J'onn about the virus. I'll call you if I need you. But someone needs to start giving me some answers!"

Diana watched him go with a small frown. She really didn't think she had any answers for him.

-------------------------------

The door swooshed open in the medical bay of the Watchtower. J'onn sensed it was Diana but did not look up from his equipment.

"So, is there a virus or not?" she asked. The words were softened by her tone, which was one of exhaustion.

"I see no evidence of one," he said, still looking at the readings. The Martian had checked everything four times and the conclusion was always the same.

Diana's face was blank and her voice was flat. "So, it was all a trick?"

J'onn looked sympathetically at her. "I suspect it was a ruse to distract us. The fire in the lab only adds to my suspicion. I think the experiment was a failure but the attack by the Central City gang and your 'virus' were to serve as distractions while the organizers covered their tracks."

She looked at him as the realization he was probably right spread over her.

"That fits the facts better than anything else," she said quietly.

"Indeed," he said.

She smiled at him. She didn't know why but this somehow seemed like good news to her.

"Thank you, J'onn," she said as she walked out of the medical bay.

He smiled back at her. "Of course."

-------------------------------

Superman joined the fire crews put out the fire in the warehouse, but by the time the fire was under control, it was clear that nothing useful would be recovered from inside.

He sighed internally. He was frustrated but was quite sure that the feeling was going to get worse before it improved.

He waved at the fire crew as he took to the air. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement in the shadows on the roof of the building next door. In less than a second, he positioned himself so he was standing in front of Batman.

"Did you find anything useful?" Superman asked him.

There was no answer, but Superman could sense the rage pouring off the Dark Knight.

"Why don't we just call this day what it is, a disaster, and regroup at the Watchtower and decide what to do next?"

"I have work to do," Batman snarled. "And then I have patrol. The Watchtower will have to live without me until tomorrow at the earliest."

Batman's watch alarm chirped. The Dark Knight quickly deactivated it. Superman arched an eyebrow – the question obvious but not asked.

More silence from Batman.

Superman decided to play his one card. "Do you want me to call about the virus or do you want to?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

_But you do. I just don't know what it means_, the Man of Steel thought.

"Okay," he said out loud.

Batman was clearly considering something during the following silence. Then, he pulled out a thin manila envelope and handed it to Superman.

"You might want to let Luthor know that we know what's in here," he said darkly.

"What's in here?" Superman asked.

"Weston's lab notes. Read the margins," he answered and, throwing a batarang, left Superman alone on the rooftop.

-------------------------------

Traditionally, Amanda Waller did paperwork after normal business hours. The building quieted down and she could focus. And that way, the completed forms could be in her assistant's box when she arrived the next morning and complete the steps to process it.

She would kick her shoes off, get a fresh cup of coffee and start on the work. Once the paperwork was done, usually the stresses of the day had disappeared. Or, at least, substantially diminished.

She was working on a collection of office supply requisitions when the hairs on the back of her neck stood up.

_She was not alone. _

"Cadmus, I presume," came a deep, menacing voice.

Amanda looked up but saw only shadow where the voice had come. She slowly moved her hand towards her desk drawer. Before she could pull on the handle and access her gun, she heard the thick thud of metal hit the floor followed by the jingle of bullets.

"Clever," she said. Her hands were shaking but she kept it out of her voice.

It was then from the shadows she saw two white eyes. She admitted to herself she was terrified but then the acknowledgement of who it must be registered.

"Batman," she said mockingly. "I really didn't think it would take you this long to find me."

There was silence. Batman did not move.

"I guess this is the point where I threaten Wonder Woman again," she said lightly. She wasn't sure what his intentions were but she was willing to play along, at least for a while.

More silence.

"Oh, come out of the shadows and let's talk. I admit it. I'm impressed and I am frightened."

He did. She watched the imposing figure emerge silently from the shadows. He seemed to disappear into his cape. Somehow, even under the office light, he wasn't any less frightening.

"Why?" he asked simply.

She hadn't expected that question. She considered for a moment and then decided to tell the truth.

"If the League decides to go rouge, there is not a thing in the world we are going to be able to do about it," she said. "That is unacceptable."

Batman nodded. "But if your projects go rouge?"

"We build in control devices to prevent that," she answered quickly.

He said nothing but she felt that his momentary understanding was lost.

"Like five hours to cardiac arrest?" he said, bitterly, after a moment.

"No. Weston never did provide a working serum. That is not what I wanted. Besides, I heard the crew from Central City are all still among us. I suppose you had something to do with that? Found your own control device, did you?"

More silence.

"I came to tell you I know what you are doing. I know where the money is coming from and I know what happens to your 'failed projects.' I will be watching. Step over the line again and there will be consequences."

He backed into the shadows and although Waller watched him do it, he suddenly disappeared.

"And if you harm any member of the Justice League as part of a project, you will get an extremely personal look at what happens when members of the League 'go rouge.'"

And suddenly, she was alone again, trembling.


	13. Rage's Aftermath

Chapter 12: Rage's Aftermath

"Batman calling Wonder Woman," the deep voice came over the communicator.

She considered not answering but that was beneath her. So she did. Her voice, however, was a bit frosty.

"Wonder Woman here."

"What's your status?"

Part of her knew that he was worried about her and that the delay in calling had been fear of what he might hear when he did. However, had there actually been a virus, as opposed to a lie told to confuse and distract the League, it would have started impacting her life four hours before his call. She suspected a kinder, more loving woman would understand his fear and love him a little more for it. Wonder Woman, however, was extremely close to her boiling point. So she told him the truth.

"I'm walking towards the medical bay."

She was. She was on the way to the cafeteria for dinner – she had agreed to meet Flash and sketch out their report over a quick dinner before he did monitor duty. And, at that moment in time, she was striding towards the medical bay.

"That's your location. Not your status." The response was instant. And for someone who knew Batman extremely well, there was a bit of panic in his voice.

"Excellent point. I'm fine. What's your status?"

"You're fine?"

"I'm fine. There was no virus. Luthor lied to Superman. The whole situation was just to distract us so that he could cover his tracks."

"Are you sure?" he asked. The relief was obvious.

"Are you asking me if I am sure of the health of my own body, if Luthor lied to Superman or if the virus was merely to serve as a distraction?" asked Diana in her haughty princess voice. "I refuse to answer if it is the first because it is too insulting. If it is the second, the answer is yes. If it is the third, the answer is that I am not sure what Luthor's actual motives are but that is my theory and that of the other League members I have discussed the situation with."

"Thank you. Batman out."

When the communicator clicked off, Diana was so stunned that she actually stopped in the middle of the hallway.

_I'm going to kill him. _

And then, she had a better idea.

-------------------------------

"Batman to Superman," came over the communicator.

"Superman here."

Superman was on monitor duty. He had about another 45 minutes until Flash relieved him and he was looking forward to being done. It had been a quiet shift which he was grateful for but he wanted to go get a good workout in and then get some sleep. The day had seemed very long to the Man of Steel.

"What are you doing about Luthor?"

"I'll take care of it, Batman," he answered.

"I have some free time before patrol," Batman responded.

Superman closed his eyes briefly. The idea of a "your way versus my way" discussion with Batman was not what he wanted.

"That news warms my heart. I hope you use the time wisely."

"Is that an invitation?"

"No. It is not. Luthor lied to me, Batman. Believe me, he and I are going to have a little chat."

"Chat," Batman repeated with a flat voice that did nothing to hide his disgust at the idea.

"Batman, I am not in the mood to have this discussion with you," Superman snapped. "I will handle Luthor. Keep pushing me on this and I'll come and have a chat with you too. If I find out you went to see Luthor…."

"Oh, you won't," Batman answered and deactivated his communicator.

Superman snarled at the dead air. For a moment, he considered calling Batman back and letting him take on Luthor. The two of them could do enough damage to each other that perhaps the Man of Steel could get a little break. Go to Smallville, do some fishing, something fun like that.

-------------------------------

In Superman's opinion, one of the good things about being a reporter, and he believed there were several, was if he needed to know where a prominent personality was going to be, it was easy to get that information. Especially, if there was a press conference and the prominent personality actively wanted reporters to attend.

Superman arrived a few minutes before the start of the press conference. Luthor was announcing his intention of updating the playgrounds in one of the city's public parks and then building affordable housing around the park. It was one of several projects Luthor had announced as part of his on-going campaign to improve his image and he was making this announcement from the run-down pavilion on the park.

During the extra time, Superman surveyed the pavilion, using his X-ray vision to determine the location that would maximize impact while minimizing damage.

By the time he was ready, the conference was in full swing. So, Superman counted to five and threw the manila envelopes through the pavilion with bullet-like precision. The envelopes landed a few feet from Luthor's microphone but no one was hit by the falling debris and bits of wood.

"You lied to me, Luthor," Superman said as he lowered himself through the hole. Hovering a few feet above the ground, he sounded like a disappointed parent.

The surge of questions from the media as they tried to determine what was happening seemed to go ignored by the main players. A few reporters grabbed the envelopes.

Luthor smiled. "Superman, what a nice surprise. I have to admit, though, I have no idea what you are talking about."

"The virus you said Weston injected into Wonder Woman when he kidnapped her for your little science experience. Before you killed him, of course. The virus never existed." The Man of Steel had chosen each word carefully to ignite the press corps behind him. It worked. Luthor's response was lost in the cacophony of questions, demands and the sound of people getting out of their chairs.

"Don't bother to deny it," Superman said. "I have Weston's lab notes here, with your comments in the margins and his blood on the last page. You should not have been so sloppy as to write so close to the blood. It makes it so clear that you were writing after the blood splatter. I have copies here for everyone. The police already got theirs."

Luthor sputtered in anger. Superman, feeling like the point was made, began to rise through the roof.

"Don't lie to me again, Luthor," he said and left Luthor to deal with the reporters.

-------------------------------

Although not a creature of habit in the traditional sense, there was some regularity to Batman's schedule. Patrol usually started at the same time and once a week, usually Thursday afternoon, he trained at the Watchtower rather than in the Batcave. He did that for several reasons. Mainly, however because it gave him a different location and different programs to work with.

He had just started a program – fighting a team of eight – when Diana walked into the training room. She was in her full costume, which she rarely trained in but he was a bit too focused to give too much thought to the implications of that.

They hadn't spoken for a day, since the short call over the communicator. He was planning on stopping by her room after the training program. He had expected an angry call but one had not come. Frankly, it made him a little nervous.

Saying nothing, she turned off the program and waited for a moment while he recovered from kicking air. He stood quietly in front of her.

_Here it comes_, he thought. Although he wasn't even entirely sure what "it" was.

"You seem to be protecting me from danger. I do not require your protection but words do not seem to convince you, or, at least impact your actions," she said coldly.

He said nothing. Every word she said was true.

"I have, therefore, decided that you need a reminder as to why I am on the team," she said and stepped three feet in front of him and dropped into a bit of a crouching position.

"You want to spar?" he asked, keeping his voice as flat as he could.

She smiled at him. It was not a warm smile.

"I don't have time for this," he said and took a step towards her as she was standing between him and the door.

"But you do," she sneered. "You were planning to train for another hour. Believe me, I can make my point in about five minutes."

"If the issue was your ability to protect yourself, I am sure you are right. However, the issues are your innocence and your tendency to rush into a situation without reflecting on the implications of your actions," he snarled.

He may have heard the roar from her before he found himself airborne and flying backwards towards the wall but he wasn't sure. But he was sure that once he hit the wall and recovered his feet, she was facing him, but otherwise in the same pose.

"That only proved my point, Princess," he said and threw a batrang around her ankles. He gave the rope a pull but rather than sending her on her back, she took flight and dragged him several feet into the air. Then she pulled her feet apart and snapped the cord, sending him back to the mat. She made sure he was looking at her before she casually lowered herself back to the ground.

"All right," he said. "If you insist." He dropped into a defensive position and motioned to her with his hand.

Diana smiled and charged.

-------------------------------

Flash was walking past the training room when he heard an unusual amount of, well, thumping and crashing. He doubted someone could have snuck in without the Watchtower defenses screaming, but he thought he had been check.

He opened the door just in time to see Batman flipping Wonder Woman over his shoulder and onto the mat. He wouldn't have thought anything of it – League members train together all the time – but there was something about both of their expressions that suggested this was anything but a friendly training session. Batman, he realized, always looked angry, but Wonder Woman looked like she was after blood, which didn't always happen even when she was fighting villains. He was fairly certainly neither of them seen him so he quietly slipped back out into the hallway.

He knew he ought to keep it quiet, but he activated his communicator.

"Ah, Superman? It's Flash. Batman and Wonder Woman seem to be trying to kill each other in the training room. Maybe you could grab J'onn and come on up in case one or both of them is possessed?"

"We'll be right there," Superman said and disconnected.

-------------------------------

The three stood outside the training room wall while the crashes inside continued. Occasionally there was a shout from either Diana or Batman but no words. J'onn did not even need to really reach out in order to connect with the variety of emotions in the room.

"They are both themselves," he said. "They are both very angry."

"Do we break it up?" Flash asked.

Superman tossed him a look. "We?" he asked with a smirk.

"All right, you," Flash amended. "Should Superman go in there and break it up?"

"Not break it up," J'onn said. "However, it might be wise for us to go in there and make sure it does not escalate."

Superman nodded his agreement.

Flash looked at them both. "Okay, but seriously, if either of them gets mad at me, I will tell them that it was your idea." With that, he activated the door and the three of them stepped in.

The air was filled with smoke that suggested that the contents of Batman's belt were not off-limits. However, they could all clearly see that Wonder Woman had her foot firmly planted on Batman's chest, who was lying on his back on the ground.

She had not acknowledged the three men who had just entered the room, but she knew they were there. She was looking a bit worse for wear – no bleeding or bruising, but she looked tired and her stance suggested she was hurting a bit.

When Batman didn't move fast enough, she removed her foot from his chest and pushed it under his back and lifted him into the air and back on his feet. He was facing Superman, Flash and J'onn who he threw a look of gratitude which none of them understood before turning back towards Wonder Woman. In the second they saw his face, they noticed a small cut in the corner of his mouth and a bruise forming along his jawbone. Consider what little of him was visible with his costume on; it was not a good sign.

Batman engaged Wonder Woman and the two were lost for several minutes in a whirl of kicks, punches and flips. Finally, Diana's meta abilities won out and she flipped Batman on his stomach and this time, put her boot on his neck.

"Stay down," she ordered.

Batman was breathing heavily and made no attempt to move. After a moment, Diana stepped off.

"I may be new to Man's World," she said softly and bitterly, "but native and impetuous I am not. Remember that next time."

Batman did not respond. Diana, without acknowledging Superman, Flash and J'onn walked out of the training room, looking every bit the warrior princess.

"You all right, man?" Flash asked as he rushed to Batman's side. Batman was already trying to stand. It was slow going, but it was happening.

"I'm fine," he growled in response.

"What happened?" Superman asked. He was completely confused at this point. He had been sure that there was something between Batman and Wonder Woman but the look on Diana's face when she walked out suggested quite the opposite. He didn't want them hating each other, but he really didn't want them in a relationship. That was a nightmare waiting to happen.

"A disagreement regarding protocol," he answered in a tone that, despite the fact he failed to answer the question, did not leave room for discussion.

Batman left the training room and headed back to the Manor. He needed to recover a bit before patrol.

_It could have been worse, _he thought as he limped along to the transporter room.

Because she hadn't ended their relationship.


	14. Olive Branch

Chapter 13: Olive Branch

Diana had remained mostly hidden in her room since what the Watchtower was calling "The Batman Beating" more than 24 hours before. Everyone, it seemed, wanted to know what started it. The general thinking seemed to be: _of course Batman could hold his own against Wonder Woman and go nearly 35 minutes with the Amazon princess. And no, there was no reason why Wonder Woman shouldn't fight Batman if he deserved it. But why? _

The answer was simple. She was tired of his "protecting" her from dangers – real and imagined. She was especially tired of not being told of the dangers – whether they be real or imagined. But it was a private matter between her and Batman and she didn't want to answer questions.

However, after a day of coming out only to eat armed her haughtiest face to discourage questions, she was bored. She wanted company. So, mentally prepared with the best way of handling the inquisitive, she opened her door.

And nearly tripped over a small, plain canvas bag.

She was quite certain she had not heard a knock but she picked up the bag and returned to her room. Sitting on the edge of her bed, she opened it.

Inside was a hairbrush, a toothbrush, a neatly folded blue silk robe and the few other items of hers that she had left at the Wayne Manor. She felt a sense of panic build up inside her as she looked for a note or any kind of explanation.

There wasn't one.

Was he dumping her? Was this just house keeping? What was going on?

She immediately activated her communicator.

"Wonder Woman to Batman," she said trying to keep the trembling out of her voice.

"Look at the clock, Princess," came the harsh answer, followed by his disconnecting.

She did. He was on patrol.

She stared at the wall wondering what to do next. Obviously, she would have to go see him after patrol.

This meant she had plenty of time to get her breathing and the panicked feeling under control. But it also meant she had plenty of time to think the worst.

-------------------------------

The headlights of the Batmobile lit her up wonderfully. He knew that she would be waiting for him, especially after the call earlier. She was dressed casually in jeans and a red long-sleeved shirt. She had pulled her hair back into a ponytail and even stood with the casual grace that seemed to come naturally to her, but he suspected she had worked very hard to make sure she looked casual and at peace. He felt a twinge of guilt which he quickly quashed.

He cut the engine on the Batmobile and got out of the car. Then, he stood silently next to the vehicle.

"I brought the canvas bag back," she said. "I gave it to Alfred, but he told me I ought to wait for you."

He continued to stand silently.

"He didn't quite understand why you brought my personal items back to me either," she said.

"Either?" he asked, his voice feigning surprise.

"Bruce, just be direct. Are you ending our relationship? Was that what you wanted to tell me?"

"Am _I _ending the relationship? Does that mean it wasn't you in the training room?" he said coldly and began to walk towards the Batcave's computer.

Diana flushed a bit. "No, it was, but I thought...," she said to his back.

"What?" he snapped and turned towards her. "That you would wait a day, call me, maybe come down here in something silky and it would all be as before?"

"But it wasn't about us, it was…"

Again, he interrupted her. "Princess, that's why you don't date within the team. It is always about us, at all levels."

It was her turn to stand silently. Her eyes were wide but otherwise, she was managing to keep her emotions from being read. After a moment of her silence, Batman turned back to the computer.

"All right," she said mournfully and turned around, clearly planning to leave the cave.

"Repercussions, Princess," he said darkly without looking at her. He was working very hard on focusing on his computer and the materials he had brought back from his patrol.

She stopped mid-stride and turned back towards him. "What?"

"Repercussions, Princess," he repeated exactly as he had said it the first time in the same position – preparing a slide of a small chemical sample for the microscope.

"You're kidding," she all but spat.

"No," he said evenly.

She paused, clearly thinking. "You're an ass," she said matter-of-factly.

"Princess?" he asked, but he had a feeling he knew. She had worked it out. He looked up from his work.

"You heard me. You never said 'it's over,' did you? This is your way of proving that you were right the whole time. I don't think things through and this was your way of teaching me a lesson. Damn, I should hit you again," she said. However, the tone of her voice was more disgusted than angry.

He said nothing. Besides, he was too busy suppressing a smile. It was one of the things that amazed him about their relationship – they never seemed to be able to stay mad at each other very long. Considering the passionate nature of them both, it was something of a miracle. They understood each other so well.

"That's why Alfred didn't know what was going on. He wouldn't have let me in the house if you told him our relationship was over. Damn you, Bruce Wayne."

Her body language was matching her voice. She was disgusted with herself for not catching on sooner. He removed his cowl and placed it on the desk.

"Language, Princess. With your connections, your damning me is quite worrisome," he said lightly.

"It should," she said with a smile.

"Princess, you shouldn't be the only one who gets to make a painful point," he said gently.

Suddenly her stance and expression changed. She smiled at him mournfully and walked over to him. She stopped about six inches in front of him.

"That isn't what you taught me," she said softly.

He said nothing but he arched an eyebrow.

"I thought I had lost you," she said softly, placing both hands flat on his chest. "And I thought it was my fault. And although you were physically and mentally sound, I think I got a taste of how you feel all the time. How you worry about Gotham and, well, everyone. It must be more intense."

He didn't say anything. The conversation had taken a turn he had not anticipated and he was not enjoying it. He was not going to talk about his fears.

She pulled her hair out of the ponytail and gave it a little shake. It fell across her shoulders and Batman smelled her shampoo. He loved that smell.

"I didn't like it. I was completely absorbed by guilt and the desire to fix everything. I felt vulnerable. It was awful."

He said nothing. She was emitting so much energy that he was surprised he didn't see sparks.

"But just because I almost understand doesn't mean I approve," she said. Her voice was sultry and she had leaned into him and her hands had moved up to his shoulders.

"I can live with that," he said, his voice matching hers as he slid his arms around her waist and pulled her in even closer.

"It doesn't change anything, does it?" she asked. "You are still going to be overprotective and keep me in the dark."

He just wanted to kiss her and there was no doubt in his mind that she just wanted to be kissed. And she did kiss him -gently and somewhat timidly. It nearly drove him mad so he kissed her back.

"Nothing changes as long as you are naïve and impetuous," he said between kisses.

The kisses quickly increased in passion and hunger. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned her head back to give him access to her neck, which he quickly took advantage of.

"We are going to have this fight again, aren't we?" she said, her voice thick with desire.

"Count on it," he said as he swept her up in his arms and began the trip to his bedroom.

She laughed lightly.

When the sun finally made its way into Wayne Manor, the couple had long since forgiven each other and, more importantly, accepted each other.

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Author's Notes:

I realize there is not a lot of resolution in this story, but the Cadmus story line is so well documented in Justice League Unlimited and in other fan fiction that I am trying not to mess (too much) with that.

My thanks to everyone who reads and reviews – I really thought I would just write one story and be done but nope! I'm having too much fun.

Special thanks to Devil's Own for inspiring me to change the meaning of the last line in chapter 12. I'll leave it to individual readers to decide if I am crediting or blaming, but the end of this story was going to be completely different before Devil's Own's comment. And also thanks to Bunnylass and Geeky BMWW Fan for making it quite clear with their other comments that drawing out a break-up would not be a good thing.

And if you thought this story was slow in updating! I am three weeks from the due date of the birth of my second child. So, while I have an idea for my next story, I suspect it will be even slower in coming.


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